The BBC has announced that it has a sustainable plan for the future of the BBC Singers, in association with The VOCES8 Foundation.
The threat to reduce the staff of the three English orchestras by 20% has not been lifted, but it is being reconsidered.
See the BBC press release here.

Radio-Lists Home Now on R4 Contact

RADIO-LISTS: BBC RADIO 4
Unofficial Weekly Listings for BBC Radio 4 — supported by bbc.co.uk/programmes/



SATURDAY 11 NOVEMBER 2023

SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m001s64m)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 00:30 Prime Ministers' Props (m001rjfg)
Series 3

Edward Heath's Yacht

Professor Sir David Cannadine explores political fame and image by looking at how an object or prop can come to define a political leader. In this episode - Edward Heath's yacht.

Edward Heath took up sailing at the relatively late age of 50, and his mid-life career as a sailor developed with extraordinary speed - he bought his first yacht Morning Cloud in 1969 and won the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race later that year. He then captained Britain's winning team for the Admiral's Cup in 1971, while Prime Minister. It was a huge sporting achievement and the idea of yachting emphasised risk taking and competence. But Heath's passion for yachting also reflects something of the extraordinary isolation of his personality. The fact that Heath’s third yacht was sunk in a storm and two crew members died in 1974, seemed a tragic metaphor for the demise of his political career.

David goes to Broadstairs Sailing Club to find out how it all started, and he visits Sir Edward's former home, Arundells, in Salisbury, to look at the bow section salvaged from the wreckage of Morning Cloud III, which has been put on display in the garden.

Series Producer: Melissa FitzGerald
Series Researcher: Martin Spychal
Readings by Will Huggins

A Zinc Audio production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001s64t)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001s650)
World Service

BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SAT 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001s656)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 05:30 News Briefing (m001s65f)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001s65m)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Brahmacharini Shripriya Chaitanya

The Festival of Diwali

Good morning.

For millions of Hindus around the world the time has come to celebrate the festival of Diwali.

In homes around the country and around the world, we prepare for Diwali by performing the equivalent of a spring clean. Since the festival of Diwali is about celebrating and welcoming the presence of Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth, it's important for us to prepare our homes, our surroundings, and also our minds such that we are able to receive this divine presence into our lives.

We may be cleaning our surroundings regularly on a daily or weekly basis, but I often find that it’s when I take the time to really clear a space I haven’t looked at for a while, that I learn something or come away with something to reflect on. When we take the time to clear spaces like that drawer full of odds and ends in the kitchen, we find things we forget we had, or things we no longer need, or things of sentimental value. We have an opportunity to examine the way our life has progressed and evolved between the time linked to that object and the present day.

Today also marks Armistice Day, an occasion for people around the world to pause and remember those who have given their lives in war. We fall silent in their memory and honour their sacrifice.

As we prepare for Diwali, I pray for the clarity to recognise what I do and don’t need in my life. I pray for the strength to let go of what no longer serves me. I pray for the wealth and the resources to be able to retain what's important to me in life.

Hari Om.


SAT 05:45 Close Encounters (m001mt80)
Alexa Chung and George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham

In the penultimate episode of Martha Kearney's series marking the re-opening of the National Portrait Gallery in London her guest is the model, writer and presenter Alexa Chung. Alexa took the opportunity of looking around the gallery as it prepared to re-open and made a shortlist of three pictures. The first was of Emma Hamilton depicted as an alluring young woman by the artist George Romney, who was clearly besotted with her, as was Admiral Lord Nelson who's portrait hangs next to Emma's in the gallery.
She was also drawn to an earlier portrait of Queen Henrietta Maria, the wife of King Charles I, not least because of the luxuriant and beautifully painted green silk dress she's wearing. The gallery curator Rab MacGibbon is on hand to point out that it was often the case that details in portraits, the landscape or clothes or flowers, would be the work of different hands, while the main artist would concentrate on the face and perhaps the hands.
However Alexa finally plumps for a huge canvas painted in 1616, the earliest portrait of the series. It's of the favourite, and very probably the lover of King James I, George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham. It shows him at the height of his powers, wearing the order of the garter regalia. As well as the extraordinarily vivid colour and drama of his costume, Alexa is drawn, as she was with Emma Hamilton, to the image of a man blessed with little more than good looks and a quick wit. Armed with these Emma and George before her made the best of what they had, and while they may not have been popular figures with the establishments of their respective times, they made a statement, and its a statement that survives in the gallery.

Producer: Tom Alban


SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m001scfw)
The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at the papers.


SAT 06:07 Open Country (m001s5ld)
Mountain Rescue

The mountain rescue team in Wasdale in the Lake District have recorded their busiest year so far with some of the harshest winter months still to come. The Langdale Ambleside team have also already reached their average annual incident rate - two months before the end of the year. Across the peaks of the UK, Mountain Rescue teams are coming under increasing pressure as visitor numbers soar.

Helen Mark meets members of the Wasdale Mountain Rescue team and the Langdale Ambleside team in the Langdale Valley, to find out why they are getting called out so often. Both teams want people to come to the mountains and lakes that they love, but with the right knowledge and respect for a landscape which can be lethal.

Certain spots in the lakes have been pictured and shared on social media drawing in more visitors, who may not be prepared for challenging terrain and bad weather. Ross Davidson is a photographer who has begun to question whether the incredible sunsets and sunrises he shares online might be part of the problem.

The Mountain Rescue teams love their work and want everyone to enjoy their landscape, but as volunteers giving up their free time to help others, they're questioning whether they can sustain the rapidly increasing call-outs. That’s why they, and the celebrated mountaineer Alan Hinkes, are asking hikers and climbers to be "adventure smart" by making sure they have the knowledge, the equipment and the right conditions to make the most of these dramatic landscapes.

Produced by Helen Lennard


SAT 06:30 Farming Today (m001scg3)
11/09/23 Farming Today This Week: Sugar row, Horticulture report; Methane from livestock; Bird flu; Water management.

The Government has intervened in an increasingly furious row between British Sugar and the National Farmers' Union over the price farmers will be paid for sugar beet next year.

The future for fruit and veg growers is bleak, according to a report from the House of Lords Horticulture Committee. It calls on the Government to 'safeguard the sector.' and warns that British growers are being squeezed out by cheaper imports and that horticulture, worth £5 billion a year to the British economy, is underappreciated by policymakers.

Agriculture's greenhouse gas emissions and the carbon-dioxide-versus-methane debate.

All week we've been looking at the impact of bird flu. It continues to spread across the world, killing both wild birds and farmed poultry. It's been reported in more than 80 countries now. Bio-security on farms is tight, we visit a free-range egg producer to see the lengths poultry keepers are going to, to protect their birds from the virus.

It's been a challenging few weeks for farmers with Storm Babet and Storm Ciarán bringing exceptional amounts of rainfall to different parts of the UK. The flooding has washed away newly sown crops, and the soil they were in. Farmers are having to decide whether to replant or not. With volatile weather events happening more regularly, do we need to think differently about how land is managed in flood-prone areas?

Presenter = Caz Graham
Producer = Rebecca Rooney


SAT 06:57 Weather (m001scgc)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SAT 07:00 Today (m001scgm)
Including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (m001scgw)
Hannah Fry, Sam McKnight, Oenone Forbat, Derren Brown

Professor Hannah Fry, whose job involves demystifying data and exploring how science and tech will shape our futures, personally though, she’s realised that ‘Life isn’t a problem to be solved, it’s an experience to be had’.

From body-building online star to social media sceptic. Oenone Forbat tell us how her life as a digital celebrity isn’t quite as glamorous as the filters might have us believe

And the legendary hair stylist Sam McKnight, reveals how a boy form a small Scottish mining town went on to style, shear and zhush the tresses of supermodels, pop goddesses and princesses.

Plus...the Inheritance Tracks of magician and illusionist Derren Brown.

Presenters: Nikki Bedi and Jon Kay
Producer: Ben Mitchell


SAT 10:00 Your Place or Mine with Shaun Keaveny (m001sch4)
Tim Peake: The International Space Station, Space

Astronaut Major Tim Peake wants to take Shaun on a wonder-filled trip to the International Space Station. It’s a chance to really get away from it all, to consider our place in the universe and to spacewalk 250 miles above Earth.

Shaun loves a bit of astronomy from the comfort of his own home, but can he cope with the realities of being shot into orbit? Galactic cosmic rays, the very real risk of floating off into eternity and toilet trips in microgravity all give him pause for thought. Resident geographer, historian and comedian Iszi Lawrence is on hand to help Shaun decide whether an extraterrestrial holiday is the right choice for him.

Your Place Or Mine is the travel series that isn’t going anywhere. Join Shaun as his guests try to convince him that it’s worth getting up off the sofa and seeing the world, giving us a personal guide to their favourite place on the planet.

Producers: Sarah Goodman and Beth O’Dea

Your Place or Mine is a BBC Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.


SAT 10:30 Soul Music (m001schk)
Songs My Mother Taught Me

Antonin Dvorak wrote his Gypsy Songs in 1880. He was passionate about the folk music of his native Bohemia and set a poem by Czech poet Adolf Heyduk to music. Songs My Mother Taught Me is the fourth song in the cycle.

Songs my Mother taught me
In the days long vanished
Seldom from her eyelids
Were the teardrops banished....

It's a wistful melancholic piece evoking memory and loss. Soul Music hears the stories of musicians, poets and singers from around the world of why they are so drawn to it.
The poet Raine Geoghegan is the daughter of a Romany woman whose life was weighed down with the loss of her father at a young age. Raine identifies with the sadness of the music because it not only represents grief at the loss of her father but also for the loss of a way of life for the gypsy people.
For Emily MacGregor it's all about the music we inherit from our parents. She is writing a book about music and grief and says this piece perfectly represents the bittersweet feeling of listening to music associated with the loss of a loved one. Dvorak had already lost three children in infancy by the time he wrote his Zigeuner Lieder.
Paris based violinist and conductor Bartu Elci-Ozsoy associates Songs with the innocence of childhood and was moved to perform it at a benefit concert he organised in aid of the children affected by the devastating earthquake in his native Turkey and Syria in early 2023.
The Korean soprano Sumi Jo recorded it in honour of her mother and presented it to her a year before she died in gratitude for her determination to see her daughter become a professional singer.
When The Scotsman newspaper commissioned a series of lockdown concerts in Spring 2020 cellist Sua-Lee chose to recreate the concert by Beatrice Harrison a century earlier when she played the piece accompanied by nightingales in her garden in Surrey. Sua set up her cello in woodland near her home in Grantown- on-Spey and performed Songs My Mother Taught Me to a collection of woodland creatures
Singer Ruby Hughes performed the American composer Charles Ives' version of the piece for a collection called Bright Travellers - music curated and composed by Helen Grimes from poems by Fiona Benson. Ives wrote his own version of Dvorak's piece not long after the Czech composer had settled in America. She loves the rocking gentle lullaby sensation created by the lilting melodies of both Ives' and Dvorak's compositions.

Featuring additional recordings by Sua Lee and Zoe Challenor

Producer: Maggie Ayre


SAT 10:59 Armistice Day Silence (m001schx)
The traditional two-minute silence to mark Armistice Day.


SAT 11:04 The Week in Westminster (m001scj9)
Radio 4's weekly assessment of developments at Westminster


SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (m001scjn)
A Tribute to Hope

Kate Adie presents stories from Israel, the Middle East, Peru and Japan.

The Israel-Gaza conflict has been framed by harsh words, and when talk of peace and reconciliation seem more distant than ever, is there space for understanding - or hope? Our correspondent Fergal Keane has spent his career reporting on divided societies, and after spending the last few weeks in Jerusalem, he reflects on the question of hope.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been back in the Middle East this week, working to keep diplomatic channels open to negotiate 'humanitarian pauses' in the Israel-Gaza conflict. Our correspondent Anthony Zurcher travelled with him.

The ultra-fine wool of the vicuna was once reserved for the royal dynasties of the Inca empire, and today it is equally adored by European fashion houses. Stefania Gozzer has been in Peru, where she met the communities benefiting from this luxury trade.

And in Japan, baseball's Hanshin Tigers finally broke one of sport's longest standing 'curses' this week when they won the Japan Series. Tigers fan Guy De Launey tells the story of how his team broke a 40 year losing streak.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling
Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith


SAT 12:00 News Summary (m001scjz)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SAT 12:04 Money Box (m001sck9)
Help for people in mortgage arrears and deferring your state pension.

As the number of homeowners behind on their mortgage jumps we look at a scheme in Wales trying to help people stay in their homes.

Also on the programme we speak to experts who weigh up the pros and cons of deferring your state pension and hear about the complications one woman had in getting the money she was owed.

We'll tell you if you're eligible for the winter fuel payment and, as the cost of living continues to bite, we visit a baby bank in Perth and Kinross to meet the volunteers who run it to speak to them about the increasing demand for help in providing everything from nappies to milk powder to wipes and toys.


SAT 12:30 The Now Show (m001s63t)
Series 63

Episode 2

Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis present the week via topical stand-up and sketches. They are joined by Alasdair Beckett-King who mourns his political heroes, Desiree Burch with a deep dive on fast fashion, and Huge Davies gives us his musical take on why AI might not be so bad after all.

The show was written by the cast with additional material from Mike Shephard, Zoe Tomalin, Christina Riggs and Cody Dahler.

Voice actors: Daniel Barker & Gemma Arrowsmith

Producer: Sasha Bobak
Production Coordinator: Katie Baum

A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4


SAT 12:57 Weather (m001sckm)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 13:00 News and Weather (m001scky)
The latest national and international news and weather reports from BBC Radio 4


SAT 13:10 Any Questions? (m001s640)
Phillip Brett MLA, Sir Conor Burns MP, Kate Nicholl MLA, Matthew O'Toole MLA

Alex Forsyth presents political discussion from Share Discovery Village near Lisnaskea with DUP's Spokesperson for Infrastructure Phillip Brett MLA, the Conservative MP and the PM's Trade Envoy to the United States Sir Conor Burns MP, the Alliance Party's spokesperson on Migration and International Relations Kate Nicholl MLA and SDLP's cost of living spokesperson Matthew O'Toole MLA.
Producer: Camellia Sinclair
Lead broadcast engineer: Will Rice


SAT 14:00 Any Answers? (m001sclb)
Call Any Answers? to have your say on the big issues in the news this week


SAT 14:45 The Planet Earth Podcast (m001sclq)
3. Living on Location

This week, Mike Gunton talks to the filmmakers that have lived in extreme locations for weeks at a time to capture the amazing animal sequences we love. Planet Earth II Producer Emma Napper describes her time camping alongside creepy-crawlies while filming in the Brazilian rainforest, while Alex Walters recalls her time on the isolated Ellesmere Island, filming wolves for Planet Earth III, and some of the close calls that come with living so close to wild predators. Sir David Attenborough remembers his own experiences on location, from the camaraderie in camp, to the frustration at trying to spot and film animals that don’t want to be seen.


SAT 15:00 Turning Point (m001scm6)
First Folio

Mike Harris reimagines the collation of Shakespeare's First Folio through the efforts of his colleagues John Heminges and Henry Condell.

The First Folio, which was published 400 years ago, gathers 36 plays for the first time - although how much was accurate and how much reinvented through memory and scraps of manuscript remains a subject of debate.

To add a bit of fun to the whole procedure, Mike Harris imagines a young girl - Rosalind - desperate to act and write in a world where it's the last thing females would routinely be allowed to do....

Cast:
Rosalind Hannah Traylen
The Ghost/Shakespeare Christopher Jordan
Heminges Jos Vantyler
Condell Ricky Oakley
Isaac Jaggard Paul Kemp
John Leeson Ben Castle Gibb
Moll Frith Alex Constantinidi
Sir Pexall Broackass Miles Richardson

Other parts played by members of the cast

Written by Mike Harris

Produced and directed by Clive Brill

A Brill production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 16:00 Woman's Hour (m001scmp)
Weekend Woman's Hour: Perinatal pelvic health, ‘Grey pound’ fashion, Jilly Cooper, Swearing, Hot flushes

The Government has announced £11 million in funding for the NHS in England to roll out a dedicated perinatal pelvic health service across all trusts. The aim of these new perinatal pelvic health services will be to help educate and assess women during pregnancy and after a traumatic birth – but how will it work? Emma Barnett hears from Jacqui Barrett, who had a traumatic birth and was incontinent for a year, Professor Swati Jha, consultant gynaecologist and spokesperson for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and the Conservative MP Maria Caulfield, who is the Women’s Health Minister.

Luxury brands are beginning to feature ‘timeless icons’ in their campaigns to attract older shoppers with more spending power. Is the fashion industry finally responding to the strength of the so-called 'grey pound'? Alexandra Schulman, journalist and former editor-in-chief of British Vogue and retail analyst Kate Hardcastle discuss.

Jilly Cooper has sold more than two million copies of her books, including Riders, Rivals, and Polo - taking us into the glamorous worlds of show jumping and classical music. Her latest novel, Tackle!, takes us to the football pitch and features her legendary hero Rupert Campbell-Black. Jilly joins Emma to talk about football, why there is less sex in her novels now, and her view on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reading her books.

Why do we swear, and are women judged differently for swearing than men? Why are some swear words considered more offensive than others, and what does that tell us about misogyny and sexism in society? Dr Emma Byrne, scientist and author of Swearing Is Good For You: The Amazing Science of Bad Language, and Dr Rebecca Roache, the author of a new book, For F's Sake: Why Swearing is Shocking, Rude and Fun, discuss.

The ABC News Breakfast guest host Imogen Crump has been praised for helping to normalise symptoms of perimenopause, after she experienced a severe hot flush on live television. Emma asks her about what happened.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Dianne McGregor


SAT 17:00 PM (m001scn0)
Full coverage of the day's news


SAT 17:30 Political Thinking with Nick Robinson (m001scnc)
The Michael Gove 2023 One

Nick Robinson sits down with the Levelling Up Secretary for an in-depth conversation about what lies behind his drive for reform, having first joined the cabinet 13 years ago. They also reflect on community tensions in the UK as a result of war in the Middle East, what the Home Secretary has said about protests, and what Nadine Dorries has written about him

Producer: Daniel Kraemer


SAT 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m001scns)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SAT 17:57 Weather (m001scp3)
The latest weather forecast


SAT 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001scp9)
300,000 people have taken part in the biggest pro-Palestinian march in London since the start of the war in Gaza.


SAT 18:15 Loose Ends (m001scpk)
Alfie Boe, Andi Osho, Paul Rhys, Sabrina Bartlett, Passenger, Gaby Moreno, Sara Cox, Clive Anderson

Clive Anderson and Sara Cox are joined by Alfie Boe, Paul Rhys, Sabrina Bartlett and Andi Osho for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Passenger and Gaby Moreno.


SAT 19:00 Profile (m001scpw)
Antony Blinken

As President Biden's top diplomat, Antony Blinken is in the eye of the storm as the conflict rages in Israel and Gaza. The US Secretary of State has been preparing for this role his whole life. But has he got what it takes? After a gilded upbringing - living in New York and Paris, an Ivy League education and a passion for music - he reluctantly turned his back on rock and roll to pursue a career at the top of politics, becoming a confidante of three US presidents.
Stephen Smith talks to friends and colleagues to find out more about the man whose father was an ambassador and whose stepfather survived Auschwitz.

Presenter: Stephen Smith
Producers: Sally Abrahams, Natasha Fernandes, Kirsteen Knight
Production co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele, Janet Staples, Rosie Strawbridge, Gemma Ashman
Sound: James Beard
Editor: Bridget Harney

Credits:
Without Ya, Ablinken (Spotify)


SAT 19:15 The Infinite Monkey Cage (m001scq6)
Series 28

Octopuses!

If Aliens really are amongst us, the most likely candidates may not be little green men, but living in plain sight, just below our ocean waves, in the form of the mysterious and awe-inspiringly clever Octopus. Scientists are only just discovering the amazing intelligence of these elegant and highly unusual creatures that seem to have evolved in a completely different way to nearly any other creature on the planet. Brian and Robin are joined by marine biologist Dr Tim Lamont, Neuroscientist Dr Amy Courtney and comedian Russell Kane to uncover just how clever these mysterious creatures are, how they've evolved intelligence in an entirely unique way and whether 8 brains, as well as 8 legs are really better than 1. The panel also discover the alarming truth about the unique sex lives of the octopus - lets just say it doesn't end well for at least one of the participants.

New episodes released Wednesdays. If you're in the UK, listen to the newest episodes of The Infinite Monkey Cage first on BBC Sounds: bbc.in/3K3JzyF

Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem


SAT 20:00 Archive on 4 (m001scqg)
Doris Lessing: Free Woman

On awarding the writer Doris Lessing the Nobel Prize in literature in 2007, the academy described her as ‘that epicist of the female experience’. Lessing herself greeted the news of the award, ambushed by journalists and photographers outside her London home, with the words: "Oh Christ!". She was 88 years old, she’d written over 50 books and she refused to be grateful.

Born in Iran in 1919, brought up in Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, and a settler in post-war London, Doris Lessing was the eternal outsider. She became one of the major fiction writers of the 20th century and in 1962, The Golden Notebook brought her international attention. The protagonist of The Golden Notebook, Anna Wulf writes in four different coloured notebooks, in different voices: ‘a black notebook, which is to do with Anna Wulf the writer; a red notebook, concerned with politics; a yellow notebook, in which I make stories out of my experience; and a blue notebook which tries to be a diary.’

The writer Lara Feigel’s life was changed when she read The Golden Notebook in her mid-30s. Now on the 10th anniversary of Lessing’s death in November 2013, Lara is looking back at her extraordinary life through the prism of The Golden Notebook, fragmenting her life into coloured notebooks as Anna fragments her own life in the novel.

Using the BBC’s archive and new interviews with her friends and readers across the generations, Lara is attempting to reanimate the complexity of Doris Lessing’s life and the long-lasting impact of her ground-breaking novel.

Contributors in order of appearance:
Dr Tinashe Mushakavanhu, Junior Research Fellow in African and Comparative Literature, St Anne’s College, Oxford
Professor Anthony Chennells, Arrupe College, Zimbabwe
Maggie Gee, writer
Deborah Levy, writer
Melissa Benn, writer
Cherie Blair CBE, KC
Nikita Lalwani, writer
Stephen Bush, journalist
Rebecca Liu, editor
Lisa Appignanesi, writer
Dr Nonia Williams, Lecturer, University of East Anglia
King’s College London MA Students: Doriana Dyakova; Anwesh Banerjee; Raashiqah Nagoor, Inka Unwin
Lauren Oyler, writer
Dr Susie Orbach, psychoanalyst and writer
Nicholas Pearson, publisher

Presenter: Lara Feigel, academic, writer and author of 'Free Woman, Life, Liberation and Doris Lessing'

Reader: Zannah Hodson

Producers: Melissa FitzGerald and Sarah O’Reilly

A Zinc Audio production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 21:00 GF Newman's The Corrupted (m000w4p0)
Series 6

Episode 5

It's now 2005 and Brian Oldman is still in jail for a crime he didn't commit.

He found a man in jail able to prove his innocence - but that man was soon discovered dead in his cell. He suspects that Joseph Oldman, now Lord Olinska, organised the killing.

In this final series, taking us to 2008, Joseph Olinska gets ever more involved in New Labour, while Brian Oldman becomes a vegan and studies law in jail in a bid to win justice for himself. Tony Wednesday continues to work behind the scenes for Sir Joseph at the same time as moving ever further up the ranks of the police force.

GF Newman's The Corrupted weaves fiction with real characters from history, following the fortunes of the Oldman/Olinska family - from small-time business and opportunistic petty crime, through gang rivalries, to their entanglement in the highest echelons of society. It's the tale of a nexus of crime, business and politics that’s woven through the fabric of 20th and 21st century greed, as even those with hitherto good intentions are sucked into a web of corruption.

Whose fortunes will prosper? Who will get their just deserts?

Joey Oldman, an uneducated Jewish child immigrant from Russia, has a natural instinct for business and a love of money - coupled with a knack for acquiring it. His first wife Cath is as ruthless in both the pursuit of money and the protection of her son, Brian. Joey built his empire with the help of a corrupt bank manager in the 1950s, starting with small greengrocer shops before moving into tertiary banking and property development, dealing with many corrupt policemen on the way - and befriending Lord Goodman, Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair. Joseph now helps New Labour with their finances, while continuing to invest heavily in Russia, the US and a pharmaceutical company specialising in cancer drugs.

The characters are based on GF Newman's novels.

Cast
Lord Olinska - Toby Jones
Brian - Joe Armstrong
Tony Wednesday - Alec Newman
Margaret - Flora Montgomery
Sonia Hope - Sarah Lambie
Catherine - Isabella Urbanowicz
Clive Bunter / Brad Thompson / Justice Deed - Matthew Marsh
Jack Braden - Jacob Fortune Lloyd
PO Rogers / Menachem Hyak / Robin Bleecher - Paul Kemp
John Quayle - David Ajao
EXO Avedlund - Nigel Pivaro
Mrs Jinks - Suzan Sylvester
FBI Agent Pyke - Will Meredith
Chuck Haley - Matt Rippy

Produced and directed by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4


SAT 21:45 The Skewer (m001s5mj)
Series 10

Episode 5

Fresh from winning Gold for Best Comedy at the British Podcast Awards (and Highly Commended as Podcast of the Year), Jon Holmes's comedy current affairs concept album returns for its 10th series to remix the news into satirical shapes.

This week - the HamM&S Christmas advert, Matt Hancock: Infinity War, and Ray Mears goes camping with Suella Braverman.

Creator / Producer: Jon Holmes

An unusual production for BBC Radio 4

The Skewer was twisted by:
Jon Holmes
Katie Sayer
Darren Phillips
Phil Lindsey
David Riffkin
Cooper Mawhinny Sweryt
Dave Wol
and
Tony Churnside

With additional material by:
Ali Panting
Anna Martin
Helen Brooks
Alice Gregg
Mike Battle
Adrian Fisk
Kevin Smith
John Weston
Beechar & Pullar
Arfie Mansfield
David Kidder
John Upton
Duncan Ladkin


SAT 22:00 News (m001scqt)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SAT 22:15 Add to Playlist (m001s63y)
Baritone Roderick Williams and violinist Jennifer Pike on a two-note masterpiece

Baritone and composer Roderick Williams and violinist Jennifer Pike - the youngest ever winner of BBC Young Musician of the Year at the time in 2002, aged just 12 - join Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye to add five more tracks to the playlist.

The musical choices take us from one of the most famous tunes in the UK (composer unknown) to a Labi Siffre hit famously sampled by Eminem, via arguably the most recognisable film theme of all time. Labi Siffre makes an appearance to look back on his 1975 classic.

Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye

The five tracks in this week's playlist:

God Save the Queen (from 1888 and 1898)
In Flanders Fields by Charles Ives and John McCrae
Jaws – Main Title by John Williams
Violin Sonata No.2 in G Major: III Perpetuum mobile by Maurice Ravel
I Got the... by Labi Siffre

Other music in this episode:

Yeke Yeke by Mory Kante
Let’s Go Fly a Kite from Mary Poppins
God Save the King, performed by Roderick Williams and Le Concert Spirituel
Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau (Land of My Fathers) - the National Anthem of Wales
Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja from The Magic Flute by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Vespers of 1610: Deus in adiutorium meum intende by Claudio Monteverdi
Opening of La Valse by Maurice Ravel
To Those Who Pass the Borough from Peter Grimes by Benjamin Britten
Flight of the Bumblebee by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
My Name Is by Eminem


SAT 23:00 Brain of Britain (m001s55n)
Semi-Final 1, 2023

(13/17)
Three of the heat winners from the past few months, alongside one of the highest-scoring runners-up, compete in the first semi-final of the general knowledge contest. Questionmaster Russell Davies puts them through their paces as they vie for a place in the 2023 Final and a real chance of being named Brain of Britain.

Will they know what the word 'Chipping' means in English town names, or in which sport Nelly Korda has won Olympic gold? Or which musician appeared at an awards ceremony with the word 'Slave' written across his face?

As always there'll also be a chance for a Brain of Britain listener to win a prize with questions he or she hopes will defeat the panel.

Appearing today are:
Ian Fennell from Kidderminster
Gill Hollis from Lichfield
Colin Kidd from Bushey in Hertfordshire
John Robinson from Birmingham.

Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner

Producer: Paul Bajoria


SAT 23:30 Uncanny (m001rprz)
Series 3

S3. Case 3: The Ghost Who Hated Parties

1986, and three art students move into digs in Waterford, Ireland. But they discover the house seemingly disapproves of visitors, reacting to talk of student parties with lights flickering and cupboard doors banging. It’s funny at first, but not for long…

Written and presented by Danny Robins
Editing and sound design: Charlie Brandon-King
Music: Evelyn Sykes
Theme music by Lanterns on the Lake
Produced by Danny Robins and Simon Barnard

A Bafflegab and Uncanny Media production for BBC Radio 4



SUNDAY 12 NOVEMBER 2023

SUN 00:00 Midnight News (m001scr4)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 00:15 The Exploding Library (m001s53w)
The Unfortunates, by BS Johnson

Hirsute comedian and crumpled polymath Rob Auton shuffles through BS Johnson's 1969 novel The Unfortunates - a book published in a box with 27 unbound sections to be read in a random order.

Warped literature series The Exploding Library returns for a new run, as another trio of comedians explode and unravel their most cherished cult books, paying homage to the tone and style of the original text - and blurring and warping the lines between fact and fiction.

As our hosts shine the spotlight on strange, funny and sometimes disturbing novels by Angela Carter, BS Johnson and Octavia Butler, listeners are invited to inhabit their eccentric worlds - gaining a deeper understanding of their workings and the unique literary minds that created them.

With the comedic voices of Kiri Pritchard-Mclean, Rob Auton and Desiree Burch, and featuring the work of award-winning producers Leonie Thomas, Benjamin Partridge (Beef and Dairy Network), and Steven Rajam (Tim Key and Gogol’s Overcoat), this is an arts documentary series like no other.

Producer: Benjamin Partridge
Reader: Mike Shephard
An Overcoat Media production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001scrg)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001scrs)
World Service

BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


SUN 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001scs6)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 05:30 News Briefing (m001scsp)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 05:43 Bells on Sunday (m001sct3)
The Church of Saint Probus and Saint Grace in Probus, Cornwall

Bells on Sunday comes from the Church of Saint Probus and Saint Grace in Probus, Cornwall. The church is the tallest in Cornwall with a Cornish granite tower standing at over one hundred and twenty feet. There are eight bells from various founders including four cast by Abraham Rudhall of Gloucester in 1721.
The Tenor weighs twenty hundredweight and is tuned to the note of E flat. We hear them ringing Stedman Triples


SUN 05:45 Profile (m001scpw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 06:00 News Summary (m001scsf)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:05 Something Understood (b0088m48)
Lest We Forget

For Remembrance Day, Mike Wooldridge considers what happens to our collective memory when we lose our first-hand witnesses. In conversation with the anti-genocide campaigner and founder of the Aegis Trust, Dr James Smith, he discovers why is it so important not just to remember, but to learn the lessons of such remembering for the sake of generations to come.

First Broadcast in 2007.

A Unique Broadcasting Company production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 06:35 On Your Farm (m001sct1)
Loch Ryan's Wild Native Oysters

For the past five years the town of Stranraer has hosted a festival celebrating Loch Ryan's native oyster beds. Thousands of visitors enjoy the taste of a wild native oyster and watch the oyster "shucking" competition. For the Loch Ryan Oyster Fishery company, it's a major showcase to sell their produce, explain their farming methods and highlight the importance of native oysters.

While many other native oyster beds declined through centuries of overfishing, the Loch Ryan fishery has managed to survive. The fishing rights are owned by the Wallace family who were granted them by royal charter, by King William III, in 1701. Thirty years ago the Wallace family asked Tristan Hugh-Jones, an oyster farmer from Cork, to manage the fishery. He and his team have succeeded in growing numbers from an estimated one million to sixty million. "It's all about sustainable fishing" says Tristan. "We return 95% of our catch to the sea bed, into areas where the oysters are tightly packed and this enhances the chances of fertilisation."

Bags of oysters are shipped off to London where they're cleaned in filtration tanks and sold as a luxury product in some of the city's top restaurants. Wild native oysters are distinct from the more commonly available ‘farmed’ rock oysters. They grow more slowly and have a flatter, thicker shell. Tristan Hugh-Jones is not enthusiastic about exporting them: he says the complexity of Brexit regulations on transporting live produce makes it a time-consuming and risky option.

When the Stranraer Oyster Festival was first held five years ago, few people in the town were aware of the existence of Loch Ryan native oysters. This year more than ten thousand oysters were consumed over the three day event.

Produced and presented by Kathleen Carragher


SUN 06:57 Weather (m001sctf)
The latest weather reports and forecast


SUN 07:00 News and Papers (m001scts)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the papers.


SUN 07:10 Sunday (m001scv6)
Interfaith relations and Israel-Hamas war; The Bard and the Bible; Hindu ante-natal rituals

William Crawley talks to interfaith experts about navigating Jewish-Muslim relations against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war.
As we celebrate 400 years of the publication of Shakespeare's first folio, Professor Regina Schwartz, an expert in both explains how 'Love thy neighbour' is central to understanding the Bard and the Bible.
Hear about the Diwali baskets being made in Birmingham to celebrate the big day.
Angry meetings and an intractable issue: The General Synod of the Church of England gets ready to talk same sex blessings this week. Reporter Harry Farley has the details


SUN 07:54 Radio 4 Appeal (m001scvm)
Music in Hospitals & Care

Broadcaster and musician Mark Radcliffe makes the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of the charity Music in Hospitals & Care.

To Give:
- UK Freephone 0800 404 8144
-You can donate online at bbc.co.uk/appeal/radio4
- Freepost BBC Radio 4 Appeal. (That’s the whole address. Please do not write anything else on the front of the envelope). Mark the back of the envelope ‘Music in Hospitals & Care’.
- Cheques should be made payable to ‘Music in Hospitals & Care’.
Please note that Freephone and online donations for this charity close at 23.59 on the Saturday after the Appeal is first broadcast. However the Freepost option can be used at any time.

Registered charity number: 1051659


SUN 07:57 Weather (m001scvz)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 08:00 News and Papers (m001scwc)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the Sunday papers.


SUN 08:10 Sunday Worship (m001scwr)
Remembering then, remembering now

Dai Woolridge is a story-teller, spoken word artist, and creative specialist at Bible Society; Cath Woolridge is a worship leader and founder of the contemporary worship collective Sound of Wales. Together they conduct a service of remembrance from Cardiff's Urban Crofter's Church, honouring those who have lost their lives in conflicts past and conflicts present. As well as reflections and scriptural readings, the service will contain some moving spoken word pieces, drawing on personal experiences.

The readings are drawn from the Book of Job and from Revelation, reflecting on a moment when there simply are no words with which to comfort those who suffer, and looking forward to a time when there will be no more tears.

With musical accompaniment from the distinguished worship collective Sound of Wales, hymns include: It is Well; Abide With Me; Nearer my God to Thee; Remembrance (Hillsong); Amazing Grace; Gwahoddiad.

Worship Leaders: Dai and Cath Woolridge
Musicians: Sound of Wales

Producer: Geoff Ballinger


SUN 08:48 A Point of View (m001s642)
Material World

Zoe Strimpel is turning her sights from artsy academic interests to much more concrete ones.

Cultural warfare and events in the Middle East have left her feeling, she says, as if she's in a 'ceaselessly enraged world'.

So instead of her usual contacts in sociology, anthropology and political science, she's seeking out engineers, agriculturalists and silversmiths - 'people who actually know something about the everyday things we all depend on and how it all works.'

'I find this far more dazzling these days than a new insight on cultural Marxism, and also less depressing,' Zoe writes, 'in a world that feels as if things are in freefall, and increasingly subject to entropic and evil forces.'

Producer: Adele Armstrong
Sound: Peter Bosher
Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith


SUN 08:58 Tweet of the Day (m0001mt4)
Monty Don's Fieldfare Season

For writer, gardener and TV presenter Monty Don, the changing seasons herald different sounds and atmospheres in the garden. In autumn as the leaves begin to fall, the arrival of flocks of fieldfares from the north of Europe are as much a part of the garden in winter as are summer migrants during the long days of June. A mixture of truculence and shyness, everything about fieldfares is harsh or jerky, but for Monty he likes them.

Producer Andrew Dawes


SUN 09:00 News and Papers (m001scx6)
The latest news headlines. Including a look at the Sunday papers.


SUN 09:15 The Archers Omnibus (m001scxh)
Writer, Avin Shah
Director, Peter Leslie Wild
Editor, Jeremy Howe

Helen Archer ….. Louiza Patikas
Henry Archer ….. Blayke Darby
Kenton Archer ….. Richard Attlee
Alan Franks ….. John Telfer
Usha Franks ….. Souad Faress
Ed Grundy ….. Barry Farrimond
Eddie Grundy ….. Trevor Harrison
Emma Grundy ….. Emerald O‘Hanrahan
George Grundy ….. Angus Stobie
Tracy Horrobin ….. Susie Riddell
Joy Horville ….. Jackie Lye
Jazzer McCreary ….. Ryan Kelly
Kirsty Miller ….. Annabelle Dowler
Hannah Riley ….. Helen Longworth
Oliver Sterling ….. Michael Cochrane


SUN 10:30 Ceremony of Remembrance from the Cenotaph (m001scmz)
Paddy O’Connell sets the scene in London's Whitehall for the solemn ceremony when the nation remembers the sacrifice made by so many in the two world wars and in other more recent conflicts.

The traditional music of remembrance is played by the massed bands. After the Two Minutes Silence and Last Post, wreaths are laid at the foot of the Cenotaph by members of the Royal Family, political leaders and representatives of Commonwealth countries, before a short Service of Remembrance.

Producer: Katharine Longworth


SUN 11:45 Short Works (m001n21r)
Daphne by Lucy Caldwell

An original short story commissioned by BBC Radio 4 from the author Lucy Caldwell. Read by Michelle Fairley.

Born in Belfast, Lucy Caldwell is the award-winning author of four novels, several stage plays and radio dramas and two collections of short stories: Multitudes (Faber, 2016) and Intimacies (Faber, 2021). She is also the editor of Being Various: New Irish Short Stories (Faber, 2019). In 2021 she won the BBC National Short Story Award with her story “All the People Were Mean and Bad.” Her most recent novel, These Days (Faber, 2022), was a Sunday Times, Times, Irish Independent, Spectator and Good Housekeeping Book of the Year.

Writer: Lucy Caldwell
Reader: Michelle Fairley
Producer: Michael Shannon
Executive Editor: Andy Martin

A BBC Northern Ireland production.


SUN 12:00 News Summary (m001scxt)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


SUN 12:04 Paul Sinha's Perfect Pub Quiz (m001s560)
Series 2

Episode 10 - Bridgwater

How much attention were you paying in 2022? This week Paul is in Bridgwater asking his audience about things that changed last year - such as the newest longest suspension bridge in the world, and the newest best restaurant in the world. He also asks about people who would have turned 100 in 2023, such as the French war hero portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg in a film that flopped for surprising reasons.

Written and performed by Paul Sinha
Additional material: Oliver Levy
Additional questions: the audience

Original music: Tim Sutton

Sound engineer: David Thomas

Producer: Ed Morrish

A Lead Mojo production for BBC Radio 4.


SUN 12:32 The Food Programme (m001scy6)
Mezcal: A Beginners Guide

Dan Saladino explores the Mexican spirit mezcal and the diverse world of agave spirits.

Contents include:

Gary Nabhan (Agave Spirits book): https://www.garynabhan.com/

Agave Road Trip Podcast: https://agaveroadtrip.com/

Sin Gusano: https://www.singusano.com/story

Kol: https://kolrestaurant.com/

El Pastore: https://www.tacoselpastor.co.uk/

Produced and presented by Dan Saladino.


SUN 12:57 Weather (m001scyq)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 13:00 The World This Weekend (m001scz6)
Radio 4's look at the week's big stories from both home and around the world


SUN 13:30 Gangster (p0gjb5x9)
Killing Death Row

Killing Death Row: 4. Who Cares if it Hurts?

If a lethal injection death is considered to be painful, that could make it vulnerable to a legal challenge as unconstitutional. What can the death of Corey Johnson tell us about the pain of a lethal injection, and does proof of pain hold sway in any US court, or indeed in the court of public opinion? Livvy Haydock heads out on the road to talk to Texans., and deep into Death Row in the USA. While support for the Death Penalty in the US remains at over 50 per cent, there’s been a steady decline in the number of executions – from the modern era peak of 98 in 1999 to just 20 in 2023 so far. Only a handful of states actually carry out the killings. It’s even become more difficult for executioners to get hold of the drugs used in lethal injections, which is what led Livvy Haydock to a surreal story about a man in West London, who was supplying these drugs to state penitentiaries in the US, and on to the macabre world of Death Row – and the people who live, work, and die on it.
Whether it’s the hunt for new lethal injection supplies, or the tip of the glasses that mark an executioner’s signal, Livvy goes right behind the scenes into the chamber itself to examine the pressures on the system that have left just 5 US states actively carrying out executions this year and around 2,400 Death Row prisoners in limbo. We’ll hear from an inmate waiting to die, and one saved at the last moment. We’ll chat to the wardens who make it happen, and the campaigners who want to stop it. And throughout, we’ll discover the possible future for Death Row in the only western democracy still carrying out capital punishment.

New episodes released weekly. If you’re in the UK, listen to Gangster Presents… Killing Death Row first on BBC Sounds: bbc.in/40W5Chz

Presenter: Livvy Haydock
Series producer: Anna Meisel
Sounds design and mix: Richard Hannaford
Editor: Clare Fordham
Production coordinator: Janet Staples


SUN 14:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m001s638)
House of Lords

I’m having no luck growing chillies from seed. What am I doing wrong? Which plants would the panel recommend to bring fragrance and colour? Which way should a fig tree face to produce the most fruit?

Ready to answer all these questions and more, Kathy Clugston and her team of experts have been invited to the House of Lords for this week’s programme. Joining Kathy to offer their best horticultural tips and tricks are Head of Oxford Botanical Gardens Dr Chris Thorogood, garden designer Matthew Wilson, and plantswoman Christine Walkden.

Among the questions, Kathy chats to Baroness Fookes about the importance of gardening today.

Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
Senior Producer: Dan Cocker
Executive Producer: Hannah Newton
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 14:45 Opening Lines (m001sczv)
The Betrothed - Episode 2

John Yorke explores a work that every Italian will know – I Promessi Sposi by Alessandro Manzoni, known in English as The Betrothed.

In this the second of two episodes, John looks at the context for the story told by Manzoni in The Betrothed. Written in the early 19th century, and set in the 17th century, at a time before Italy became a unified country, Manzoni deliberately used a historical period to comment on the political situation of his time. When he was writing, the Italian peninsula was under Austrian rule, and to criticise those in charge meant a likely jail sentence. So he wrote about a time when the rulers were Spanish, with obvious parallels.

The novel deals with the issues of war, failures of leadership, conflict between classes, social unrest, religion, and gives a vivid description of a plague which devastated the population.

It’s a novel which had resonance for readers in the 19th century when it was first published and, as John discovers, also for contemporary readers today.

John Yorke has worked in television and radio for thirty years, and he shares his experience with Radio 4 listeners as he unpacks the themes and impact of the books, plays and stories that are being dramatized on BBC Radio 4. From EastEnders to The Archers, Life on Mars to Shameless, he has been obsessed with telling big popular stories. He has spent years analysing not just how stories work but why they resonate with audiences around the globe and has brought together his experience in his bestselling book Into the Woods. As former Head of Channel Four Drama, Controller of BBC Drama Production and MD of Company Pictures, John has tested his theories during an extensive production career working on some of the world’s most lucrative, widely viewed and critically acclaimed TV drama. As founder of the hugely successful BBC Writers Academy John has trained a generation of screenwriters - his students have had 17 green-lights in the last two years alone.

Contributors:
Tim Parks Author of A Literary Tour of Italy
Eileen Horne, Adapter
Dr. Francesca Benatti, Research Fellow in Digital Humanities, Open University

Reader: Marco Gambino

The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni, translated by Michael F. Moore, The Modern Library New York
The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni, translated by Bruce Penman, Penguin Classics

Produced by Mark Rickards
Executive Producer: Sara Davies
Sound by Charlie Brandon-KIng
Researcher: Nina Semple
Production Manager: Sarah Wright

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 15:00 Love Stories (m001sd07)
The Betrothed: Episode Two

by Alessandro Manzoni, adapted for radio by Eileen Horne

Prevented from marrying by Spanish overlord, Don Rodrigo, the young lovers have fled their village. Finding himself caught up in bread riots in Milan, Renzo has now escaped to safety with his cousin in Bergamo. Meanwhile Lucia has been kidnapped and is being held in the castle of the Nameless lord. But further disaster awaits.

Lucia ….. Hiftu Quasem
Renzo ….. Ian Dunnett Jnr
Father Abbondio ….. Paul Higgins
Gabriel ….. Joel Maccormack
Griso / Bartolo ….. Owen Whitelaw
Nibbio / Medical Officer ….. Tunji Kasim
Agnese ….. Maureen Beattie
Brother Cristoforo ….. Ewan Bailey
Nameless /Scribe ….. Jonathan Forbes
Rodrigo / Father / Borromeo ….. Sandy Grierson

Directed by Gaynor Macfarlane


SUN 16:00 Open Book (m001sd0p)
Teju Cole

Chris Power talks to Teju Cole about his wide-ranging and powerful new novel, Tremor . Writers William Boyd and Chloe Aridjis reveal why the art world is fertile terrain for fiction and a book recommendation from Kevin Duffy of Bluemoose Books.


SUN 16:30 The Exploding Library (m001sd18)
Parable of the Sower, by Octavia E. Butler

Comedian Desiree Burch unravels Octavia Butler's visionary 1993 novel Parable of the Sower and its sequel Parable Of The Talents, an eerily-prescient dystopian portrait of society in collapse after being torn apart by climate change and corporate greed - with a populist demagogue US president who rides to power with the slogan "Make American Great Again".

Oh, and the story - pure fantasy of course, imagined by Butler three decades ago in the early 1990s - is set initially in 2024.

Now this all seems to Desiree just a little bit too close to reality for comfort. But is there hope - even optimism - beneath the surface of this chillingly bleak vision?

Warped literature series The Exploding Library returns for a new run, as another trio of comedians explode and unravel their most cherished cult books, paying homage to the tone and style of the original text - and blurring and warping the lines between fact and fiction.

As our hosts shine the spotlight on strange, funny and sometimes disturbing novels by Angela Carter, BS Johnson and Octavia Butler, listeners are invited to inhabit their eccentric worlds - gaining a deeper understanding of their workings and the unique literary minds that created them.

With the comedic voices of Kiri Pritchard-Mclean, Rob Auton and Desiree Burch, and featuring the work of award-winning producers Leonie Thomas, Benjamin Partridge (Beef and Dairy Network), and Steven Rajam (Tim Key and Gogol’s Overcoat), this is an arts documentary series like no other.

Producer: Steven Rajam
An Overcoat Media production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 17:00 File on 4 (m001s5n2)
Disability and the Adult Industry

As a young person, Ellen Macleod wasn’t sure whether her disabilities would mean she could never have sex so she turned to the internet. There she found porn featuring disabled adults, but those films threw up dark questions around consent, exploitation and whether disabled people were being made the involuntary subject of a fetish.

Now Ellen has teamed up with journalist Nastaran Tavakoli Far to investigate whether what she saw online was extreme role play or very real abuse.

Ellen and Nas speak to disabled adult content creators, as well as safeguarding and legal experts to explore how society protects vulnerable adults, and what many of us get wrong about sex and disability.

If you have been affected by sexual abuse or violence, details of help and support is available at bbc.co.uk/actionline

Presenters: Ellen Macleod and Nastaran Tavakoli-Far
Producer: Ailsa Rochester
Sound Design: Rob Green
Executive Producer: Jo Meek

An Audio Always production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 17:40 Profile (m001scpw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


SUN 17:54 Shipping Forecast (m001sd1t)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


SUN 17:57 Weather (m001sd29)
The latest weather forecast


SUN 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001sd2s)
Home Secretary says London is "being polluted by hate, violence, and antisemitism." Labour says she should be sacked. The US says it does not want fighting in Gaza's hospitals.


SUN 18:15 Pick of the Week (m001sd39)
Tessa Dunlop and Betty Webb

For Pick of the Week this Armistice Sunday Tessa Dunlop is joined by a World War Two veteran who served in the ATS and at Bletchley Park, and who celebrated her 100th birthday this year, Betty Webb

Betty sheds her century of wisdom across the week's radio output. We hear her thoughts on remembering war and on-going war, on military tattoos and AI and on some of the figures who have cropped up this week, from the King to former Prime Ministers and Will Smith.

Presenters: Tessa Dunlop and Betty Webb
Producer: Jessica Treen
Production Coordinator: Lydia Depledge-Miller


SUN 19:00 The Archers (m001sd3r)
Kate announces that Ruairi’s birthday party is fancy dress. She wants her and Jakob to make an entrance with their costumes. She’s put out when Jakob tries to get out of going, accusing him of not being a team player and then says she doesn’t want to spend the night with him. Later, Kate rings Jakob. Neither of them can sleep and Kate apologises for what she said earlier. Jakob agrees to go in fancy dress. He’s keen to make the point that he’s not “not a team player”, but Kate is too excited about dressing up to listen to anything else Jakob has to say.

Usha watches Alan get dressed up after he arrives belatedly at her brother Shiv’s house for Diwali celebrations. Alan’s had a busy Remembrance Sunday, even though Peggy and others are still boycotting St Stephen’s. Shiv welcomes Alan warmly, he’s heard from Usha that Alan’s in need of some TLC. Later, Shiv talks proudly about the fundraising and other activities they do for the community space at the Mandir, where the evening’s fireworks are being held. Alan’s impressed with how much goes on there. Usha joins them, before sitting with Alan. Alan realises he needed this time out. Inspired by what Shiv’s told him, he thinks they should open St Stephen’s up more and look at a Christmas fundraiser. As the evening progresses, Alan starts having ideas about what sort of groups and events the church could host. He can’t wait to begin fighting the challenges St Stephens faces with everything they’ve got.


SUN 19:15 Who Runs the World? (m001sd45)
Independent Women

Comedian Catherine Bohart channels her inner Mel Gibson and asks “What Do Women Want”? in the second part of her raucous new stand up special.

Alongside answering this frankly impossible question, Catherine also wants to know why all of our female Prime Ministers have been Conservatives, and conversely, why the Labour Party prefers the world’s most boring man over literally any woman?

Catherine puzzles out Westminster’s pub-to-nursery ratio, before sitting down with Conservative Peer Baroness Warsi to discuss detoxifying the corridors of power.

Performed by Catherine Bohart

Written by Catherine Bohart, Charlie Dinkin and Georgie Flinn

Produced by Benjamin Sutton

A Daddy’s Superyacht Production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 19:45 The State of the Art (p0gm22sm)
3: A Lens-Based Artist

Julian Rhind-Tutt reads the next in William Boyd's savagely funny story series, skewering the contemporary art world.

Giles Flint-Greenfield, a St James' art dealer with a penchant for post-war British watercolours, is finding his world rather small. But when Ludo Abernathy, an old and far more successful art dealer friend, cuts him in on the mother of a deal, new and potentially terrifying horizons open up for him in East London. All too soon Giles has swapped his tweed for black leather, and St James’ for a car maintenance shop, and is feeling very much out of his depth among the art lovers of Leyton. Not least because he isn’t quite sure how Ludo is making him so much money….

In today' story, Fernando Benn, enfant terrible of contemporary art, and self-styled lens-based artist, is ready to take the art world by storm. But he can't help wondering whether he's being taken seriously enough?

Reader: Julian Rhind-Tutt. Other readers in the series: Tom Hollander, Adrian Scarborough, Ed Stoppard.
Writer: William Boyd is the award-winning author of 17 novels.
Producer: Justine Willett


SUN 20:00 Feedback (m001s63g)
The Today Podcast

The Today Programme has re-entered the crowded market of news podcasts - so how do they hope to make the new offer stand out? Andrea Catherwood discusses The Today Podcast with presenter, Nick Robinson.

Long time breakfast TV presenter and journalist Sian Williams decided a few years ago to leave the newsroom and study psychology. Now Dr Sian Willians is both an NHS counselling psychologist and presenter of Radio 4’s series Life Changing which each week focuses on one person who's been through an extraordinary event that altered the course of their life. Find out more about the programme and how listeners are reacting to the series.

Presenter: Andrea Catherwood
Producer: Gerry Cassidy
A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4


SUN 20:30 Last Word (m001s63d)
Ken Mattingly, Anne Wright, Mary Gallacher, David Kirke

Matthew Bannister on

Ken Mattingly, the astronaut who missed flying into space on the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission because he had been exposed to German measles. We have a tribute from Fred Haise who did take part in that hazardous flight.

Anne Wright, who devoted her life to conserving the wild animals of India.

Mary “Tiny” Gallacher who worked behind the scenes at Rangers Football Club in Glasgow for over 50 years.

David Kirke, the co-founder of the Dangerous Sports Club who took part in the first modern bungee jump wearing top hat and tails and carrying a bottle of champagne.

Interviewee: Fred Haise
Interviewee: Belinda Wright
Interviewee: Raza Kazmi
Interviewee: John Gallacher
Interviewee: David Mason
Interviewee: Chris Baker

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Apollo 13 official movie trailer , Universal Pictures, Universal Pictures All-Access YouTube channel, uploaded 12/04/2011; Ken Mattingly interview, NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project, Thomas K. Mattingly II, interviewed by Rebecca Wright, Costa Mesa, California, 06/11/2001; NASA’s Look at 50 Years of Apollo, NASA, YouTube channel uploaded 13/04/2020; Apollo 13, CBS News Coverage of Apollo 13, 17/04/1970; Apollo 13 re-entry, BBC One, Cliff Michelmore, James Burke, Geoffery Pardoe and Patrick Moore, BBC, 17/04/1970; Anne Wright interview, Witness History, The End of British Rule in India 22/07/2014; Mary Tiny Gallacher interview, Rangers Retro , Tiny's Team, Rangers Football Club Official YouTube Channel, uploaded 25/10/2023;


SUN 21:00 Money Box (m001sck9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:04 on Saturday]


SUN 21:25 Radio 4 Appeal (m001scvm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 today]


SUN 21:30 Loose Ends (m001scpk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:15 on Saturday]


SUN 22:00 Westminster Hour (m001sd4w)
Leila Nathoo's guests are the former Cabinet minister Theresa Villiers, Shadow Defence minister Luke Pollard, and foreign affairs expert, Dr Leslie Vinjamuri. They discuss the Armistice Day protests and whether the Home Secretary Suella Braverman should stay in post. They also consider the SNP's call for a Commons vote on an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East. And they look ahead to the Chancellor's Autumn Statement and possible tax cuts. Kevin Schofield - political editor of HuffPost UK - brings additional insight and analysis.


SUN 23:00 Moral Maze (m001s5kv)
How should we remember the dead and the living?

The Met police has warned of a "growing" risk of violence and disorder this Remembrance weekend. The Prime Minister has described a planned pro-Palestinian protest in London on Armistice Day as “provocative and disrespectful” to those who wish to remember the war dead “in peace and dignity”. The Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said it was "a stain on our common humanity" that so many seem to have "lost sight of the moral distance between Hamas and Israel". Others, however, strongly refute the description of the demonstrations as “hate marches”, believing that the protesters should be allowed to campaign for a ceasefire and an end to the killing; and to show solidarity with Palestinians without undermining either the remembrance events or the humanity of Israelis.

The polarising nature of the Israel-Hamas war and its repercussions in the UK has resulted in both sides accusing the other of ‘weaponising’ remembrance. Public attitudes to commemoration have changed over the last century and notions of a country honouring the ultimate sacrifice of its soldiers can be hard to disentangle politically from conflicts of the day.

What are we really doing on Remembrance Day? While for some it is a deep expression of sorrow for the dead and a formal commitment to peace, others believe it risks celebrating past acts of killing, which translates into justifying present militarism and violence. If rising conflicts around the world suggest humanity has not learned from the mistakes of the past – what is the moral purpose of remembrance? How should we remember the dead as well as those who are living through conflict today?

Producer: Dan Tierney.



MONDAY 13 NOVEMBER 2023

MON 00:00 Midnight News (m001sd56)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


MON 00:15 Sideways (m001s5gk)
52. First Loves

After Kate and Guenther shared their first kiss on Torquay's pier in the summer of 1989, their blossoming love was soon interrupted by the distance between Yorkshire and Bavaria. Two years later, they had to let go of their early romance.

In this episode, we explore rekindled loves, for better or worse, and the challenges we can face when the ghost of an old romance resurfaces.

As Matthew Syed reminisces about his own experiences, he delves into the reasons why our first loves are unforgettable.

Featuring Professor Catherine Loveday, Jeannie Thompson, and Professor Adam Fetterman.

Presenter: Matthew Syed
Producer: Julien Manuguerra-Patten
Series Editor: Katherine Godfrey
Sound design and mixing: Naomi Clarke
Theme tune by Ioana Selaru

A Novel production for BBC Radio 4


MON 00:45 Bells on Sunday (m001sct3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:43 on Sunday]


MON 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001sd5k)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001sd5v)
World Service

BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


MON 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001sd63)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


MON 05:30 News Briefing (m001sd6d)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


MON 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001sd6p)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Brahmacharini Shripriya Chaitanya


Lamps of love are lit

Good morning. I share a blessing from Swami Tejomayananda.

Diwali, or “Deepavali”, means a row of lights or a billion lights. Most of the festivals in the Hindu culture are meant to celebrate the victory of good over evil. In this sense, Diwali is a day of many blessings.

As per the Ramayana, it is the day when Sri Ram, Sita and Lakshman returned to Ayodhya. Happiness, peace and harmony returned to Ayodhya—the land of no conflict. Sri Ram represents honesty and firm adherence to duty; Sita embodies faith and devotion; Lakshman personifies detachment. For this homecoming, lamps of peace are lit.

It is the day Sri Krishna killed Narakasura—the demon of sorrow and hell who had kidnapped and imprisoned 16, 000 princesses. It is the day when the selfish ego, which has entrapped all the 16,000 thought-varieties, is killed and all thoughts get wedded to the one infinite blissful consciousness. When our mind turns towards this infinite Self, the sense of limitation along with its selfishness ends. For this knowledge, lamps of joy are lit.

It is the day when we harvest the results of our hard work blessed with wealth by Mother Lakshmi. We pray to her with gratitude and ask the Divine Mother to shower Her blessings in abundance for the coming year, to give us the intelligence to use our wealth in the right manner and to give us the heart to share it generously with our fellow beings.

For this sharing, lamps of love are lit.

I pray that we may fill our hearts with love, light the lamp of knowledge within and remove darkness around us, to each be a light unto the world.

Hari Om


MON 05:45 Farming Today (m001sd6w)
13/11/23 Sewage sludge on farmland, cauliflowers, dam removal

Campaigners have launched a legal challenge to the Government over the rules about fertilising farmland with sludge from sewage works. The group alleges it’s abandoned its pledge to protect farmland from harmful chemicals.
All week we're talking about brassicas; and today it's cauliflowers. Phil Collins grows veg across 150 acres, just north of Devizes in Wiltshire, with 20 acres of brassicas.
One of the biggest ever dam removals has been completed in Aberdeenshire. The Garlogie dam was built as part of a now defunct local hydro electric scheme in the 1920s. Its demolition opens up part of the River Dee to Atlantic salmon for the first time in more than 100 years.

Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.


MON 05:56 Weather (m001sd72)
The latest weather forecast for farmers.


MON 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b0378srp)
House Sparrow

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.

Michaela Strachan presents the house sparrow. These birds are more commonly found living alongside us than any other British bird. Perhaps the most enterprising birds were the House Sparrows which bred below ground in a working mine at Frickley Colliery in Yorkshire.


MON 06:00 Today (m001sd0v)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


MON 09:00 Start the Week (m001sd1d)
Music – from page to performance

The award-winning composer Errollyn Wallen offers an insight into what it’s like to write a piece of music. In her memoir, Becoming a Composer, she also looks back on how a girl born in Belize and brought up in Tottenham found herself at home in the world of classical music.

Handel was gradually losing his sight in 1751 as he finished what was his last dramatic oratorio Jephtha. The harpsichordist Laurence Cummings conducts a new performance of this biblical tale of faith and sacrifice, at the Royal Opera House (8–24 November; on BBC Radio 3 on 27 January). He explains how Handel’s work has been reinterpreted for today’s audience.

Jazz musicians are celebrated for their re-interpretation of classics and improvisation. As the London Jazz festival is in full swing (10-19 November, and on BBC Radio 3), the celebrated jazz singer Emma Smith talks about what happens when the notes on the page are transformed into a performance.

Producer: Katy Hickman


MON 09:45 Irresistible: How Cuteness Wired Our Brains and Conquered the World by Joshua Paul Dale (m001sd84)
Surrounded by Cuteness

Why are some things cute, and others not? And how did cuteness go global, from manga cartoons to Disney characters? These are questions explored in this book by Joshua Paul Dale.

Cuteness is an area where culture and biology get tangled up. Seeing a cute animal triggers some of the most powerful psychological instincts we have - the ones that elicit our care and protection - but there is a deeper story behind the broad appeal of Japanese cats and saccharine greetings cards.

Joshua Paul Dale, a pioneer in the field of cuteness studies, looks at how the cute aesthetic spread around the globe, from emojis and Lolita fashion, to the unstoppable rise of Hello Kitty. He's a Professor in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at Tokyo Gakugei University, and Irresistible delves into the ancient origins of Japan's culture of 'kawaii', or cuteness.

In this first episode, Joshua describes the sudden culture shock which made him realise that cuteness was everywhere around him in Tokyo.

He says: “I walked out of my apartment to find the road blocked not by a row of prosaic red-and-white stripes signalling danger, but by a long line of large, plastic Hello Kitty characters, each holding a rainbow. I soon realised that ‘cutified’ construction barriers were popping up everywhere in Tokyo, sporting frogs, monkeys, ducks, rabbits and dolphins. It was a bizarre transformation of mundane city streets. It was like a switch flipped in my brain; suddenly I noticed that cuteness - kawaii - is everywhere in Japan. When did its relentless spread begin, and why did it happen here?”

Reader: Adam Sims
Abridged and produced by Elizabeth Burke
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4


MON 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001sd1y)
Suella Braverman sacked as home secretary, Natalie Cassidy, Breast Cancer treatment

Following a weekend of speculation, the most senior woman in government Suella Braverman has been sacked from her role as Home Secretary. To discuss Emma is joined by Lucy Fisher, the Whitehall Editor for the Financial Times; and Claire Pearsall, former Home Office special advisor under Amber Rudd and Sajid Javid.

The gripping BBC One drama ‘Time’ focuses on the stories of three women, and shows the stark differences for female and male prisoners. Emma is joined by Time’s screenwriter, Helen Black, who has first-hand experience of the criminal justice system from her past career in the law, and Lady Unchained, who was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for grievous bodily harm following a fight in a club while trying to protect her sister. She is now a poet, performer and broadcaster.

The actor Natalie Cassidy pays tribute to the late Anna Scher who taught children in North London to act for more than 50 years.

How is our interaction with AI shifting our concepts of intimacy and sexuality as humans? Emma Barnett talks to the Kate Devlin Kate Devlin who’s a Reader Artificial Intelligence & Society at King's College London and the author of Turned On: Science, Sex and Robots, and to Trudy Barber, Senior Lecturer at Portsmouth University in Media Studies.

Tens of thousands of women in England could benefit from a drug that helps prevent breast cancer. Anastrozole, used for many years to treat the disease, has now been licensed as a preventative option, and almost 300 thousand women will be eligible to take it. But is it as big a step forwards as it seems? Former surgeon and breast cancer survivor Dr Liz O’Riordan joins Emma to discuss.

Presenter: Emma Barnett
Producer: Emma Pearce


MON 11:00 Fed with Chris van Tulleken (m001sd2f)
Series 1: Planet Chicken

3. U OK Hen?

We eat chicken. A LOT of it. We might love the taste, but what about how we're treating those birds?

After witnessing first-hand the reality of indoor chicken farming - how most of the chicken we eat is raised - Dr Chris van Tulleken wants to know: are the birds happy enough, or is our method of rearing cheap chicken actually cruel?

If so, what’s the ‘happier’ alternative – and do carnivores like Chris care enough to pay the price for that, or does a love of meat ultimately trump ethics?

Chris battles with his conscience, and finds the answer hard to stomach.

Produced by Lucy Taylor and Emily Knight.

Archive audio:
- VIVA broiler investigation video (2021)
- BBC and Channel 4 news reports on battery cage ban (2012)


MON 11:30 The Bottom Line (m001s5nl)
Blockbuster drugs

New medicines with sales in the billions of dollars each year are what every pharmaceutical company dreams of, but how do you create one and can they really justify their often high price tags?

Evan Davis and guests discuss the changing origins of so-called 'blockbusters' and their importance to the global drug industry, including recent examples like the obesity and diabetes treatments Wegovy and Ozempic, which have made Novo Nordisk one of the richest companies in Europe.

Plus, as outright cures for some diseases begin to emerge, how can the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare systems agree on what is a reasonable price to pay for them?

Evan is joined by:

Sir Patrick Vallance, former president of research and development at GSK, chief scientific advisor to the UK government, now chair of the Natural History Museum;
Ruth McKernan, venture partner at SV Health Investors;
David Brown, chairman and co-founder of Healx and co-creator of Viagra;
Natasha Loder, health editor, The Economist.

PRODUCTION TEAM:

Producer: Simon Tulett
Editor: China Collins
Sound: Graham Puddifoot
Production co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman

(Picture: Rolls of dollar bills next to a bottle of pills. Credit: Getty Images)


MON 12:00 News Summary (m001sdps)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


MON 12:04 You and Yours (m001sd3d)
Shop workers, M&S, Drip pricing

A charity representing shop workers say half of retail staff feel unsafe as incidents of shoplifting, antisocial behaviour and assaults increase by 40% on last year. We find out why.

A few years ago, M&S took a big gamble on fewer stores. Has it worked? Shoppers in Liverpool give us their verdict on its "destination" branches.

If you've ever tried to book a flight or concert ticket, you've almost certainly come across drip pricing. That when extra fees are added to a purchase so what you pay at the end is a lot more than you first thought. Kevin Hollinrake MP is the minister for at the Department for Business and Trade. He also wants to crack down on this practice. We find out what exactly he wants to do and when.

It's roughly 6 months since Trans Pennine Express was taken back into public hands. How has its new boss Chris Jackson been getting on? We find out what he's been doing to turn things around.

And finally how do you feel about being asked to round up your shop by a few pence for a charity donation? More self-service tills are offering us these micro-donations. We find out why they're doing it and how much actually goes to charity.

Presenter: Shari Vahl
Producer: Julian Paszkiewicz


MON 12:57 Weather (m001sd3t)
The latest weather forecast


MON 13:00 World at One (m001sd47)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.


MON 13:45 The Great Post Office Trial (m001sd4l)
13. Inside the Machine

The Post Office Horizon Scandal has been called the widest miscarriage of justice in modern British history, with the number of former Sub Postmasters whose convictions have been overturned now over 60. Those who suffered prosecution or financial ruin due to errors on the Post Office's Horizon computer system want answers. How could this have happened? Who is responsible?

Continuing the series that has helped expose the scandal since 2020, Nick Wallis draws on interviews, documents and the extraordinary revelations spilling out of the ongoing public inquiry. For the first time, the public is getting real insight into what was really going on inside the Post Office.

Presenter: Nick Wallis
Producer: Robert Nicholson
Sound Design and Mixing: Arlie Adlington
Executive Producer: Will Yates

A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4


MON 14:00 The Archers (m001sd3r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


MON 14:15 Drama on 4 (m001sd4y)
How to Build a DJ

Michael Southan’s BBC Radio 4 drama debut is focusses on Ben, a disabled 18 year old who is striving to follow his grandad and become a DJ. But his mum, Gwen, has other ideas. She is struggling with grief as she tries to save the local community centre from council closure.

Ben and his best mate Seema have an idea to help Gwen and the community centre but when Tamsin, a new talent producer, arrives can friendship and promises be kept?

A fun light new drama with some great music.

Starring Callum Mardy (Our Generation, Big Boys) who makes his Radio 4 drama debut alongside Priyasasha Kumari (Waterloo Road) , David Crellin (Years and Years, Emmerdale), Carla Henry (Queer As Folk, Betty - a musical) and Nadia Emam (Everything I Know About Love, Playing Dead).

Nickie Miles-Wildin returns to Naked Productions to direct How To Build A DJ for BBC Radio 4. Her previous drama, Love Across the Ages, was nominated for Best Drama at The ARIAS 2023.

Michael Southan is a new writer from Wolverhampton. His most recent production was Kerbs, for Graeae and Belgrade Theatre for Coventry City of Culture in 2022. His audio work includes Connections and Night of the Living Flatpacks with Naked Productions for national community audio broadcast, funded by the Audio Content Fund. How to Build a DJ is his first BBC Radio 4 commission.

There will be an animated transcript available on broadcast to increase access.

Cast:
Ben ..... Callum Mardy
Dennis ..... David Crellin
Gwen ..... Carla Henry
Seema ..... Priyasasha Kumari
Tamsin ..... Nadia Emam


Director, Nickie Miles-Wildin
Sound Designer, Steve Brooke
Illustration, Julian Gray
Production Manager, Darren Spruce
Producer, Polly Thomas
Executive Producer, Eloise Whitmore

A Naked production for BBC Radio 4


MON 15:00 Brain of Britain (m001sd59)
Semi-Final 2, 2023

(14/17)
Russell Davies welcomes another four semi-finalists to the Radio Theatre in London where one of them will take a step closer to being named Brain of Britain 2023.

Appearing in today's contest are
Dan Adler from Farnham in Surrey
Jude Cole from Sheffield
David Cowan from Swansea
Mickie Wynne-Davies from Oxted in Surrey.

The competition for the buzzer is bound to be fierce and the contenders may find it tougher to pull away from the pack as they did in their respective heats. They'll also face a challenge from a listener hoping to Beat the Brains with fiendish questions they have devised.

Assistant Producer: Stephen Garner
Producer: Paul Bajoria


MON 15:30 The Food Programme (m001scy6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:32 on Sunday]


MON 16:00 The Infinite Monkey Cage (m001scq6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:15 on Saturday]


MON 16:30 The Digital Human (m001sd5w)
Series 30

Reminiscence

‘I asked myself this very question after a family member was affected by dementia. In her later years, the only person my grandmother still remembered was her husband – but he had passed away several years earlier. She asked about him every morning and finding out that he had died always upset her greatly.’ - Thomas Nørmark.Thomas Nørmark

Dementia is a cruel and complex illness, one that robs individuals of their cognitive abilities, independence, and memories. The NHS website reports that in the UK alone, there are now over 944,000 people living with dementia, and this number continues to rise as our population ages.

While there is no cure for dementia, emerging technological breakthroughs hold the promise of more personalised treatment plans, the potential to enhance the quality of life for longer periods, and the ability to provide much-needed respite and comfort to the caregivers of those affected.

In this episode of Digital Human, Aleks explores some of the nascent AI tools that could help people living with dementia:

AMPER, an AI programme designed to aid in Reminiscence therapy, helping people to remain independent for as long as possible.

Moments, an app that creates timelines of memories, music, and photos that can be shared with clinical staff, so they can get to know who the person was before the disease took hold, meaning they can tailor care more effectively.

And a radical proposition of creating Digital Avatars of loved ones that offer support and reassurance to people who no longer remember that that loved one has already passed away - saving family members from the emotional strain of having to pretend to be someone else, to keep the person they love happy.

Aleks will explore not only how these technological developments will benefit people in the next few decades, but also the ethical complexities that arise in ensuring the well being and security of vulnerable users.


MON 17:00 PM (m001sd65)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


MON 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001sd6q)
Suella Braverman has been sacked and replaced by James Cleverly as Home Secretary


MON 18:30 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (m001sd6x)
Series 80

Episode 1

Radio 4's multi award-winning ‘antidote to panel games’ promises yet more quality, desk-based entertainment for all the family.

The series begins at the Pavilion Theatre in Bournemouth where Marcus Brigstocke and Rachel Parris are pitched against Tony Hawks and Miles Jupp, with Jack Dee in the role of reluctant chairman. Regular listeners will know to expect inspired nonsense, pointless revelry and Colin Sell at the piano.

Producer - Jon Naismith.
It is a BBC Studios production.


MON 19:00 The Archers (m001sd4h)
Alan tells Jakob that Kate turned down his invitation to hold a weekly Spiritual Home session at the church, in support of Peggy’s stance. Jakob can’t believe it after what she said yesterday, but goes to see Usha on Kate’s behalf about borrowing a sari.

At The Stables Lilian quizzes Jakob about the Grange Farm land sale, but he can’t tell her anything. He then asks Lilian if she thinks he’s a kill-joy. Of course not, she replies quickly, before things become awkward and Jakob beats a retreat. Harry Chilcott then introduces himself to Lilian, demanding to see someone about Sadie, the horse he bought for his niece. He considers the horse’s recent injury to be the result of poor decision-making by The Stables. Learning the manager isn’t around, he says he’ll return tomorrow.

Helen looks for a card in the shop that Jack can give Rob. She tells Joy she doesn’t want Jack giving Rob his handmade one in case Rob says something hurtful. When Helen’s phone rings, it’s Miles. He tells her Rob’s deteriorating quickly but has refused a hospice, so now has nurses visiting his flat and Helen needs to bring forward Jack’s visit to tomorrow. Helen’s not sure Jack should see Rob in his condition, but Miles presses her to say yes. Supportive Joy then agrees to go with Helen when she takes Jack to see Rob. Helen is fearful of how Jack will respond to seeing Rob, but Joy thinks if he’s anything like Helen, he’ll brave it out.


MON 19:15 Front Row (m001sd75)
Todd Haynes, Trevor Horn, new galleries at the Imperial War Museum

The UK’s first art, film and photography galleries dedicated to war and conflict have just opened at the Imperial War Museum. Al Murray, who has made several documentaries about Britain’s wars, and Rachel Newell, Head of Art at the Imperial War Museum, join Samira Ahmed to discuss the new galleries.

Director Todd Haynes talks about his new film May December which stars Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman. The black comedy drama follows an actress who travels to Georgia to meet a controversial woman she is set to portray in a film.

And musician and producer Trevor Horn, known for creating the sound of the 1980s, talks about his new album Echoes – Ancient and Modern. It reimagining songs from 1982 to 2012 and includes performances from Iggy Pop, Tory Amos and Marc Almond.

Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Olivia Skinner


MON 20:00 Nato's Newest Member (m001scsz)
Ash Bhardwaj travels to Finland to find out how this northern European country came to abandon nearly 80 years of military non-alignment and become NATO’s newest member.

He speaks to conscripted soldiers on Finland’s frontline, takes a tour around the home of one of the country’s most important artists and visits Helsinki’s Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats to hear how Finland’s “total defence” mentality keeps it safe.

Presented by Ash Bhardwaj
Produced by Artemis Irvine
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4


MON 20:30 Analysis (m001sd79)
Can reading really improve your life?

Most educational research now suggests that reading for pleasure is strongly linked to a child’s future outcome, educational success, and even wellbeing. But the latest studies also show that reading for pleasure is at its lowest level for twenty years.

Why has this happened in a country that's produced more successful children's books than any other? From Paddington, to Harry Potter, the Chronicles of Narnia to Alice in Wonderland, and of course, the Gruffalo, the list is vast. Is a lack of access to school and local libraries the problem, too few books at home or the rise of phones, tablets and game consoles?

What can schools, government, the media and parents do to help foster a love of reading that could help children throughout their lives? Author and former Children's Laureate Julia Donaldson investigates.

Presenter: Julia Donaldson
Producer: Ravi Naik
Editor: Clare Fordham

Contributors:
Frank Cottrell-Boyce, author and screenwriter
Joseph Coelho, 2022-24 Children’s Laureate, author and poet
Teresa Cremin, Professor of Education (Literacy), the Open University
Joanna Prior CEO Pan Macmillan Publishing, and Chair of Trustees at the National Literacy Trust
Laura Patel, head of literacy, Sandhill View Academy school, Sunderland
Leia Sands, librarian and committee member, the Great School Libraries campaign
Ben Lawrence, arts and culture editor, The Daily Telegraph
Sonia Thompson, headteacher, St Matthews C of E primary school, Birmingham


MON 21:00 Young Again (m001s5gx)
6. Jada Pinkett Smith

Kirsty Young talks to actor and producer Jada Pinkett Smith about the lessons she has learned from her life so far. Jada explains the impact of her parents’ drug addiction and her early experiences of Baltimore street life on her mental health and subsequent relationships. She reflects on her marriage to actor Will Smith and why she has chosen to go public about her private life. Would she do it all again? Jada talks to Kirsty about her extraordinary life.

Producer: Laura Northedge
Content Editor: Richard Hooper
Editor: Alice Feinstein
Senior Technical Producer: Bob Nettles
Presenter: Kirsty Young

A BBC Audio Production


MON 21:30 Start the Week (m001sd1d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


MON 22:00 The World Tonight (m001sd7h)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective


MON 22:45 Brother of the More Famous Jack by Barbara Trapido (m001sd7m)
Episode 1

Brother of the More Famous Jack is Barbara Trapido’s first novel. Published in 1982, it soon acquired countless fans as well as winning prizes and, in more recent years, admirers including :

'The perfect book' - Meg Mason

'The best possible company in this difficult world' - Ann Patchett

'A daisy bomb of joy' - Maria Semple

'Funny, charming, teeming with life, and real' - Nick Hornby

'I adored it . Redolent of classics like The Constant Nymph with both its true voice and wonderfully sage and sanguine heroine' - Sophie Dahl

'Reading it again is as comforting as eating toast and Marmite between clean, fresh sheets' - Rachel Cooke, Sunday Times

Eighteen-year-old Katherine - bright, stylish, frustratedly suburban - doesn't know how her life will change when the brilliant Jacob Goldman first offers her a place at university. When she enters the Goldmans' rambling bohemian home, presided over by the beatific matriarch Jane, she realises that Jacob and his family are everything she has been waiting for.

Sally Phillips, much loved star of Clare in the Community, returns to BBC Radio 4 with this delightful comic tale of the joys and anguish of young love.

Abridged by Mark Kilfoyle and Jill Waters
Produced by Jill Waters
Read by Sally Phillips
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4


MON 23:00 Lights Out (m001sd7r)
Series 6

Four Walls

Documentary adventures that invite a closer listen.

For generations, queer people have moved to London from more conservative parts of the UK, in search of community and to live as their authentic selves. Now, with housing so unstable, queer people are among the marginalised communities for which homelessness is on the rise. They continue to come to London now to find their place, but the trade off is extreme financial insecurity.

Can you really feel at home when the four walls around you are unstable?

Jesse Lawson talks to Karen Fisch, Topher Campbell, Carla Ecola and Reggie Lennox about what it means to have to choose between one form of home over another.

Music by Femi Oriogun-Williams
Produced by Jesse Lawson
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4


MON 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001sd7w)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament



TUESDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2023

TUE 00:00 Midnight News (m001sd80)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 00:30 Irresistible: How Cuteness Wired Our Brains and Conquered the World by Joshua Paul Dale (m001sd84)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Monday]


TUE 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001sd88)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


TUE 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001sd8d)
World Service

BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


TUE 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001sd8j)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


TUE 05:30 News Briefing (m001sd8n)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


TUE 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001sd8s)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Brahmacharini Shripriya Chaitanya

The Festival of Govardhan Puja

Good morning.

Today marks a festival known as Govardhan Puja. The story of Govardhan Puja is narrated in the Shrimad Bhagavat Mahapurana and is dear to many as the story revolves around one of the most beloved deities in Hinduism, Shri Krishna.

As a young boy, Shri Krishna comes to the rescue of his entire village by lifting up a mountain on his little finger. Why? Because Indra, the deity of rain, had become arrogant and accustomed to receiving offerings from the farmers of the town. The villagers needed the climate and the environment to be conducive to work for their livelihoods and thus they appealed to Indra so that he would bless them.

Shri Krishna saw that Indra had to be corrected. A team leader is responsible for his team’s welfare and productivity; Shri Krishna saw that Indra’s attitude showed some room for improvement. He convinced the villagers to stop their offerings to Indra and instead to pray to God. Feeling provoked, Indra proceeded to send a torrential downpour to the village. When it became apparent that all the villages and their homes were in danger, Shri Krishna picked up a nearby mountain and holding it high above his head, provided shelter and refuge for all the villagers.

We often pray to God for help without taking the time to see what assistance we already receive. God’s help is not intangible in our life; God’s support, if we care to notice, is with us at every moment of every day.

I pray that God's grace allows us to recognise the myriad ways in which he shelters us as we walk through life.

Hari Om.


TUE 05:45 Farming Today (m001sd8v)
14/11/23 - New Defra Secretary, white cabbage waste and Wilder Marches

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has new boss - former Health Secretary, Steve Barclay. The appointment comes after Therese Coffey stepped down during the Prime Minister's reshuffle. We get the low down on the new Secretary of State, and consider what he will bring to the Department.

Simon Naylor produces white, red and pink cabbages in South Lincolnshire, which are sold whole in supermarkets, but also go into a huge range of pre-prepared lines, including coleslaw, stir-fry mixes and salads. But as much as 35 percent of each white cabbage is wasted, with tonnes of outer leaves thrown away every year. So, he's developed a plan to use the waste and transform it into new food ingredients.

And Wildlife Trusts on both sides of the Wales-England border are working together in a new project which aims to restore habitats for wildlife and tackle the consequences of climate change. The Trusts say the "Wilder Marches" project can also support farmers to carry out environmental actions to increase biodiversity on their land.

Presented by Anna Hill
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons


TUE 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b01sbyxy)
Redshank

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs. David Attenborough presents the Redshank. Redshanks are one of our commonest wading birds at home in freshwater marshes and on estuaries where you can easily recognise them from their combination of long scarlet legs, white rumps and wing-bars and greyish brown bodies.


TUE 06:00 Today (m001scym)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


TUE 09:00 The Life Scientific (m001sczl)
Professor Sarah Harper on how population change is remodelling societies.

People around the world are living longer and, on the whole, having fewer children. What does this mean for future populations? Sarah Harper CBE, Professor in Gerontology at the University of Oxford, tells presenter Jim Al-Khalili how it could affect pensions, why it might mean we work for longer, and discusses the ways modern life is changing global attitudes to when we have children, and whether we have them at all. Fertility and ageing have been Sarah's life's work and she tells her story of giving up a career in the media to carry out in-depth research, and going on to study population change in the UK and China, setting up the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing and later becoming a Scientific Advisor to UK Government.

Presenter: Jim Al-Khalili
Producer: Tom Bonnett


TUE 09:30 One to One (m001sd00)
Future Cities: Tori Herridge meets Ed Finn

Tori Herridge is a palaeontologist who spends her life studying creatures from the past – but when it comes to humans, she’s obsessed with the future. In the last of three episodes she speaks to Ed Finn, founding director of the Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University, about how science, art and science fiction can work together to help us picture the far future and avoid the dystopias we fear.

Presenter: Tori Herridge
Producer: Beth Sagar-Fenton

Made in Bristol by BBC Audio.


TUE 09:45 Irresistible: How Cuteness Wired Our Brains and Conquered the World by Joshua Paul Dale (m001sd7z)
Ancient Japanese Cuteness

Why are some things cute, and others not? And how did cuteness go global, from manga cartoons to Disney characters? These are questions explored by Joshua Paul Dale, a Professor in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at Tokyo Gakugei University. He’s a pioneer in the field of cuteness studies, and his new book looks at how the cute aesthetic spread around the globe, from Lolita fashion and emojis to the unstoppable rise of Hello Kitty.

In Episode 2, Professor Dale traces the roots of the cute aesthetic to ancient Japan, exploring images and beliefs which have spread across the globe.

“All small things, no matter what they are, all small things are most adorable” – words from a classic work of Japanese literature, The Pillow Book, written more than a thousand years ago. The author was a courtier, Sei Shōnagon, and The Pillow Book contains one of the earliest articulations of an aesthetic that eventually became today’s culture of ‘kawaii’.

Japan was largely peaceful in Sei’s era, leaving the upper class little to do but cultivate beauty and taste in all aspects of life, and although the nobility numbered only a few thousand, their aesthetic values spread across the land. What’s more, the idea that artistic pursuits could lead to self-improvement became established in this era. The modern attitude towards ‘kawaii’ reflects this idea: in Japan, people believe that cultivating the appreciation of cute things has a positive effect on one’s own life; cuteness is a force that can help to combat unhappiness, anxiety or even dissatisfaction at work.

Reader: Adam Sims
Abridged and produced by Elizabeth Burke
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001sd0x)
Dame Kelly Holmes, Cabinet reshuffle, Debenhams picketers

The four top jobs in Rishi Sunak’s new cabinet have all been filled with men. It’s the first time this has happened since 2009. To unpack what this means, Emma Barnett is joined by Baroness Kate Fall, former deputy chief of staff to the newly appointed Lord Cameron, and Executive Editor of Politico Anne McElvoy.

Double Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes spoke publicly about her sexuality for the first time in June last year. Her new memoir, Unique, details how serving in the military in the late 1980s - when it was illegal to be gay in the military – was a major factor in contributing to her decades-long silence. Dame Kelly joins Woman’s Hour to speak about her experience and what it meant to hear the Government’s apology to LGBT veterans.

In April 2020, Debenhams in Ireland closed all 11 of its stores, informing its staff they had been let go in the process. What ensued were pickets and protests across Ireland that lasted for 406 days, 24 hours a day and through all weathers. As a new film is released on the subject in the UK, Emma is joined by Carol Ann Bridgeman who worked for Debenhams for 15 years and Jane Crowe who worked there for 23 years.

Karuna Nundy is an advocate at the Supreme Court in India and has been leading legal campaigns to criminalise marital rape and to legalise same-sex marriage. She was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2022 and will be giving a speech on her career tonight at the Institute for Development Studies. She joins Emma to discuss her role in these high-profile cases.

Presenter: Emma Barnett
Producer: Lottie Garton


TUE 11:00 The Reinvention of Italy (m001sd1h)
Anne McElvoy goes on the road in Italy in the latest in her series exploring the convulsions of political and cultural change sweeping through Europe’s great nations. The election last September of the right wing populist Giorgia Meloni shocked the political establishment. Her declared mission: to restore and defend Italy’s national identity. But what does it mean to be an Italian today?

We visit Padua in the North Eastern region of Veneto - a city steeped in ancient culture, boasting the oldest university in Europe and the exquisite frescos of the Scrovegni Chapel. It's also at the heart of Italy's more prosperous North - the engine of the country's economy which draws in migrants from inside and outside Italy. A good place to explore the tensions between the old ways and the new which are rumbling through Italian life in the wake of Meloni's election.

Touring the city and its regions, we ask Italians from all walks of life - migrant workers, a female-led design and manufacturing business, a demographer and other experts on Italy's political and social culture. How do they see themselves in 2023 and what are the challenges of the future?

Why is a country built on the bedrock of the family facing a decline in the birth rate so severe it threatens to wreck the economy? Why is a country whose citizens have emigrated around the world throughout history so uneasy about inward migration? Could a new political era also signal a revival of an Italian economic miracle?

Producer: Leala Padmanabhan


TUE 11:30 Moving Pictures (p0ggs5gk)
Ambulance Call by Jacob Lawrence

Cathy FitzGerald invites you to discover new details in old masterpieces. Each episode of Moving Pictures is devoted to a single artwork – and you’re invited to look as well as listen, by following a link to a high-resolution image made by Google Arts & Culture. Zoom in and you can see the pores of the canvas, the sweep of individual brushstrokes, the shimmer of pointillist dots.

This episode explores Ambulance Call by the great American artist, Jacob Lawrence. We're on the sidewalk in Harlem, New York, in the 1940s. A crowd gathers as a patient is stretchered away. But not just a crowd - a community... captured in all its tender humanity by one of its own. Lawrence notices the everyday moments that are so often overlooked and gives them back to us in bold, brilliant style.

To see the high-resolution image of the painting made by Google Arts & Culture, visit www.bbc.co.uk/movingpictures. Scroll down and follow the link to explore Ambulance Call.

Interviewees: Austen Barron Bailly, Jen Padgett, Turry Flucker, Leslie King-Hammond and Brittany Webb.

Producer and presenter: Cathy FitzGerald

Executive producer: Sarah Cuddon
Mix engineer: Mike Woolley
Art history consultant: Leah Kharibian

A White Stiletto production for BBC Radio 4

Picture credit: Jacob Lawrence, Ambulance Call, detail, 1948, tempera on board. © The Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation, Seattle / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York and DACS, London 2023. Image courtesy Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas. Photography by Edward C. Robison III.


TUE 12:00 News Summary (m001sdrq)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


TUE 12:04 You and Yours (m001sd2q)
Call You and Yours: Private Parking Firms

Its one of the issues that listeners contact You and Yours about the most. So today in our phone-in we want to hear about your experience of private parking firms. A record 11 million Parking Charge Notices were issued to drivers in the year leading up to March 2023, with an estimated cost of more than £1.1 billion. The Government has tried to regulate the sector. Last year it introduced a code of practice which was meant to have the interests of safe motorists at its heart. But four months later that code was withdrawn after challenges from the private parking companies. The government is consulting on next steps - meanwhile the number of Parking Charge Notices continues to rise.

So what's been your recent experience with private parking firms? Get in touch.

Email us now - you and yours @ bbc.co.uk or call us on Tuesday from 11am on 03700 100 444

PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON
PRODUCER: CATHERINE EARLAM


TUE 12:57 Weather (m001sd36)
The latest weather forecast


TUE 13:00 World at One (m001sd3n)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.


TUE 13:45 The Great Post Office Trial (m001sd43)
14. The Prosecution Spree

The Post Office Horizon Scandal has been called the widest miscarriage of justice in modern British history, with the number of former Sub Postmasters whose convictions have been overturned now over 60. Those who suffered prosecution or financial ruin due to errors on the Post Office's Horizon computer system want answers. How could this have happened? Who is responsible?

Continuing the series that has helped expose the scandal since 2020, Nick Wallis draws on interviews, documents and the extraordinary revelations spilling out of the ongoing public inquiry. For the first time, the public is getting real insight into what was really going on inside the Post Office.

In Episode 14, we hear how the Post Office disregarded red flags about Horizon when it rolled the system out, and how flawed and incomplete prosecution policies set the stage for the mass prosecution of many innocent Sub Postmasters.

Presenter: Nick Wallis
Producer: Robert Nicholson
Sound Design and Mixing: Arlie Adlington
Executive Producer: Will Yates

A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 14:00 The Archers (m001sd4h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]


TUE 14:15 Elsinore (m0009r5v)
Series 2

Episode 1

by Sebastian Baczkiewicz

Claudius, Prince of Denmark, has lived as an exile in Spain for the past sixteen years but an attempt on his life causes him to reassess his position. Meanwhile in Denmark, civil disobedience and political unrest are leading King Hamlet to take ever more authoritarian measures.

Claudius . . . John Light
King Hamlet . . . John Heffernan
Polonius . . . Clive Hayward
Gertrude . . . Lyndsey Marshal
Catalina . . . Laura Christy
Olsson . . . Rupert Holliday Evans
Kabanova . . . Jessica Turner
Schroeder . . . Neil McCaul

Directed by Marc Beeby and Sasha Yevtushenko

Set in an alternative Europe in the 1950s, Elsinore imagines the turbulent world of the Danish Court in events that take place some years before the story told in Shakespeare's Hamlet. It explores the relationships at the Danish court, particularly the troubled, not to say murderous relationship between King Hamlet and his brother Claudius. Series 2 picks up the action 16 years after the first series, in an alternative Europe in the early 1950s. Denmark is a powerful, militarised country with a small Empire around the Baltic which it is fighting hard to maintain. There is more than a hint of totalitarianism in the air.


TUE 15:00 Short Cuts (m001sd4v)
Series 36

Archival Imaginings

Liminal prose and cryptic hotlines. Josie Long presents short documentaries and audio adventures navigating our relationship and imaginations to history collecting.

The Flight of Sankofa
Produced by Weyland Mckenzie-Witter
Featuring Lisa Anderson, the Director of the Black Cultural Archives, Dr Etienne Jospeh of Decolonising the Archive and Christopher West the inaugural curator for the Black diaspora, John Hay Library, Brown University, who recently curated an exhibition using Brown University’s Mumia Abu-Jamal collection.

Xenoglossia
Produced by Kamikaze Jones

Fish & Chips
(best listened to with headphones)
Produced by Abira Hussein and Olani Ewunnet
Recorded with Sue Bowerman
Featuring the voices of Somali Aunties from London
Special thanks to Alan Archer-Boyd, and Whose Knowledge?

Produced by Axel Kacoutié
Curated by Axel Kacoutié, Eleanor McDowall and Andrea Rangecroft
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 15:30 Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley (p0c258w1)
7. Mary Ann Cotton

Lucy Worsley investigates the crimes of Victorian women from a contemporary, feminist perspective.

This time, Lucy visits County Durham in North East England, to reinvestigate the woman known as Britain’s first female serial killer. Mary Ann Cotton was accused of murdering her stepson in 1872, after telling the local grocer that she was sure her stepson will die soon. When her stepson died a few days later, the police were called in.

Following a rushed post-mortem and inquest, Cotton seemed to have got away with it - his death was declared a case of natural causes. But more tests and a second post mortem revealed that her stepson had been poisoned. Mary Ann Cotton was arrested, put on trial, and sentenced to be hanged. She maintained her innocence right up until she was led to the gallows.

Although convicted of one murder, historians now believe that Mary Ann Cotton killed up to 21 people.

Lucy visits Beamish, the Living Museum of the North, to see the unsuspecting murder weapon, and Cotton’s former home in West Auckland, to see where she last lived.

Alexandra Wilson, an author and barrister who has practiced in both family and criminal law, talks Lucy through the legal implications of the case, including whether she would represent Cotton today.

Lucy asks if Mary Ann Cotton was a cold and calculated killer, or a desperate and vulnerable mother in need of an income from insurance payouts.

Historian Rosalind Crone puts the story into the context of the Victorian era. Was Mary Ann Cotton just trying to better herself? And why was it so easy for her to remain undetected for so long?

This is a case that highlights the domestic role of women and how they could, theoretically, get away with murder.

Producer: Hannah Fisher
Readers: Clare Corbett and Jonathan Keeble
Sound Design: Chris Maclean

A StoryHunter production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 16:00 Law in Action (m001sd55)
Jury conscience, resolving conflicts in space, and the law of Treasure Trove in Scotland

Can juries acquit a defendant as a matter of conscience? For example, if people are accused of causing criminal damage as part of a protest, could the jury find them innocent despite the judge's directions? Joshua speaks to Clive Dolphin from Defend our Juries; Richard Vogler, Professor of Comparative Criminal Law & Criminal Justice, University of Sussex, and Tana Adkin KC, Chair of the Criminal Bar Association.

There are currently around 5000 active satellites in space and that's expected to rise to 100,000 by 2030. Satellites generate debris, too, and even a tiny fleck of paint can cause serious damage when colliding with something else, due to the speeds involved. But who is liable if one satellite damages another? Joshua asks Rachael O'Grady, Partner at Mayer Brown if international space law is keeping up with technology.

If you find treasure in Scotland, can you keep it and will the finder receive a reward for declaring it? We hear from Glasgow University student Lucy Ankers who discovered a hoard of coins thought to be linked to the 1692 Glencoe massacre and Bobby Sandeman, Chief Executive of King's and Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer.

Presenter: Joshua Rozenberg
Producers: Diane Richardson and Arlene Gregorius
Sound: Graham Puddifoot and James Beard
Editor: Carl Johnston


TUE 16:30 A Good Read (m001sd5j)
India Knight and Emma Dabiri

Journalist India Knight and writer Emma Dabiri talk to Harriett Gilbert about favourite books. India chooses The Tap Dancer by Andrew Barrow, while Harriett has gone for Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, the novel Anne Tyler considers her best work. Emma champions Claire Keegan's short but powerful story, So Late in the Day. Themes of food and family emerge from all three books.

Producer for BBC Audio Sally Heaven


TUE 17:00 PM (m001sd5t)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


TUE 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001sd6c)
The sacked Home Secretary told the Mr Sunak he had failed to deliver on key policies


TUE 18:30 Best Medicine (m001sd6n)
Series 1

6. CT Scans, Inhalation, Faith, Attention

Joining Kiri this week are Reverend Kate Bottley who offers up faith as the Best Medicine, Dr Subarna Chakravorty and John James OBE who team up to talk about sickle cell, comedian Ria Lina who wants everyone to get a CT scan, and historian Caroline Rance debunking dodgy inhalation practices throughout history.

Best Medicine is your weekly dose of laughter, hope and incredible medicine. Award-winning comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean is joined by funny and fascinating comedians, doctors, scientists and historians to celebrate medicine’s inspiring past, present and future.

Each week, Kiri challenges her guests to make a case for what they think is 'the best medicine', and each of them champions anything from world-changing science to an obscure invention, an everyday treatment, an uplifting worldview, an unsung hero or a futuristic cure.

Whether it’s micro-robotic surgery, virtual reality syringes, Victorian clockwork surgical saws, more than a few ingenious cures for cancer, world-first lifesaving heart operations, epidurals, therapy, dancing, faith or laughter - it’s always something worth celebrating.

Hosted by Kiri Pritchard-McLean

Featuring: Rev. Kate Bottley, Dr Subarna Chakravorty, John James OBE, Ria Lina and Caroline Rance

Written by Laura Claxton, Toussaint Douglass, Charlie George, Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Ben Rowse

Producer: Ben Worsfield

Assistant Producer: Tashi Radha

Executive Producer: Simon Nicholls

Theme tune composed by Andrew Jones

A Large Time production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 19:00 The Archers (m001scwp)
Lilian isn’t looking forward to Harry Chilcott’s return, but Alice says not to worry. She’s looked him up online and knows his type. Later, Alice is grooming Sadie when Harry arrives. He compliments Alice’s way with the horse, commenting that it’s management who sometimes let the team down. Alice then introduces herself as manager of The Stables. She listens to Harry’s concerns and talks through the decision-making on the day Sadie was injured. Harry thaws, acknowledging that he was a little hot-headed with his accusations. Lilian encourages Alice to take Harry on a tour, but Alice puts him off. He gives Alice his card, suggesting he buy her lunch to apologise for his earlier behaviour. Alice turns him down repeatedly, then gets flustered when Harry says it’s clear that she really doesn’t want to meet up.

Joy waits outside with Jack while Helen goes in to see how Rob is, before taking Jack in. With Rob, Helen makes clear her conditions for Jack’s visit. She’s surprised when Rob simply agrees to her demands. As she leaves to get Jack, vulnerable Rob asks how he looks. Fine, she says. But when it comes to the moment Jack bursts into tears and refuses to go inside. Helen won’t force Jack into doing something he doesn’t want to, so she asks Joy to wait with Jack while she goes back to see Rob. Joy’s worried for Helen going in alone, but Helen says she’ll be alright. Then, when Helen delivers the news about Jack to Rob, he cries and asks her to leave.


TUE 19:15 Front Row (m001sd6v)
Emerald Fennell, Lucy Frazer and Paul Harding

Emerald Fennell’s follow-up to her award-winning film Promising Young Woman aims to have cinema-goers squirming in their seats. The mystery drama Saltburn explores class, as an awkward outsider spends the summer at a large country house.

The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, the Rt Hon Lucy Frazer KC MP discusses her plans to reach the targets set out in the Government’s Creative Industries Sector Vision.

In this week’s interview with a Booker shortlisted author, Tom speaks to the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Paul Harding. His third novel, This Other Eden, uses the historical story of an island in Maine harmoniously inhabited by a mixed-race community in the 19th century as a point of poetic departure, until the unsettling arrival of missionaries.


TUE 20:00 Today (m001sd71)
The Today Debate: Israel Gaza - What happens when the war ends?

The Today Debate is all about taking a subject and discussing it with more time than we could ever have during the morning.

Mishal Husain is joined by a panel of guests to discuss what happens when the Israel Gaza war ends.

On the panel are Jeremy Bowen, BBC International Editor; Daniel Levy, director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations; Lord Ricketts, former chair of the UK’s intelligence committee under Tony Blair and former national security adviser to David Cameron, former national security advisor and chair of the Joint Intelligence Committee; Ghada Karmi, Palestinian academic and author and joining from Washington Evelyn Farkas, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for President Obama.


TUE 21:00 In Touch (m001sd76)
All The Light We Cannot See

Anthony Doerr's 2014 war novel All The Light We Cannot See has been adapted into a four-part TV series on Netflix. The story is based in Nazi-occupied France during World War Two, and revolves around a blind character called Marie-Laure LeBlanc and a German boy, Werner Pfennig, who is pressed into serving as an anti-German radio broadcast interceptor for the Nazi army.

Aria Mia Loberti plays the role of Marie in the series and she joins us from Rhode Island to share what the experience was like of starring in her first acting role, the choices she applied to the character and she shares anecdotes of what it was like on set as a blind person and filming with the likes of Hugh Laurie. Fern Lulham is the voice of the audio description for the adaptation on Netflix and she tells us more about how audio describing works when you're visually impaired and Sean Randall is an avid reader, who has both read the book and watched the series, he helps us assess how well Marie-Laure LeBlanc has been adapted to the screen.

The Netflix series All the Light We Cannot See was written by Steven Knight and Directed by Shawn Levy.

Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Liz Poole
Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image, wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three individual white squares house each of the three letters). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words "In Touch" and the Radio 4 logo (the word Radio in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to the right. Both are behind Peter, one of a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.


TUE 21:20 A Point of View (m001s642)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:48 on Sunday]


TUE 21:30 The Life Scientific (m001sczl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


TUE 22:00 The World Tonight (m001sd7b)
Braverman accuses Sunak of betrayal

Suella Braverman has accused the prime minister of betraying the nation in a scathing post-sacking letter. We ask how serious her attack is for Rishi Sunak.

Also on the programme:

As President Biden prepares to welcome China's President Xi tomorrow - we hear why their meeting in San Francisco is so important.

And we hear how AI-based tools are challenging traditional weather forecasting systems for accuracy.


TUE 22:45 Brother of the More Famous Jack by Barbara Trapido (m001sd7g)
Episode 2

Brother of the More Famous Jack is Barbara Trapido’s first novel. Published in 1982, it soon acquired countless fans as well as winning prizes and, in more recent years, admirers including :

'The perfect book' - Meg Mason

'The best possible company in this difficult world' - Ann Patchett

'A daisy bomb of joy' - Maria Semple

'Funny, charming, teeming with life, and real' - Nick Hornby

'I adored it . Redolent of classics like The Constant Nymph with both its true voice and wonderfully sage and sanguine heroine' - Sophie Dahl

'Reading it again is as comforting as eating toast and Marmite between clean, fresh sheets' - Rachel Cooke, Sunday Times

Eighteen-year-old Katherine - bright, stylish, frustratedly suburban - doesn't know how her life will change when the brilliant Jacob Goldman first offers her a place at university. When she enters the Goldmans' rambling bohemian home, presided over by the beatific matriarch Jane, she realises that Jacob and his family are everything she has been waiting for.

Sally Phillips, much loved star of Clare in the Community, returns to BBC Radio 4 with this delightful comic tale of the joys and anguish of young love.

Abridged by Mark Kilfoyle and Jill Waters
Produced by Jill Waters
Read by Sally Phillips
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4


TUE 23:00 Now You're Asking with Marian Keyes and Tara Flynn (m001sd7l)
The 'Is He the One?' Problem

Is it ever possible to know whether your partner is 'The One'? Can you go to church but avoid drinking the Kool Aid? Should men shave more than the hair on their chin? It's safe to say there is no subject that Marian and Tara won't tackle in their quest to solve their listener's conundrums.

Marian Keyes is a multi award-winning writer, with a total of over 30 million of her books sold to date in 33 languages. Her close friend Tara Flynn is an actress, comedian and writer. Together, these two friends have been through a lot, and now want to use their considerable life experience to help solve your biggest - and smallest - of the things that keep us awake at night.

Previous series were welcomed by listeners and critics: "Both are warm and kind enough to not only be funny but also offer genuinely thoughtful, if left-field, advice." (Miranda Sawyer, The Observer) "Keyes and Flynn are my new favourite double-act." (Jane Anderson - Radio Times) "I found their compassion endlessly soothing." (Rachel Cunliffe - The New Statesman)

Recorded in Dublin with emails received from listeners around the world, the hosts invite you to pull up a chair at their virtual kitchen table as they read and digest their inbox.

Got a problem you want Marian and Tara to solve? Email: marianandtara@bbc.co.uk.

Producer: Steve Doherty.
A Giddy Goat production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds


TUE 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001sd7q)
Sean Curran reports as Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and his Labour shadow Rachel Reeves clash over the economy.



WEDNESDAY 15 NOVEMBER 2023

WED 00:00 Midnight News (m001sd7v)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


WED 00:30 Irresistible: How Cuteness Wired Our Brains and Conquered the World by Joshua Paul Dale (m001sd7z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Tuesday]


WED 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001sd83)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


WED 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001sd87)
World Service

BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


WED 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001sd8c)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


WED 05:30 News Briefing (m001sd8h)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


WED 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001sd8m)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Brahmacharini Shripriya Chaitanya

Love made visible.

Good morning.

Human beings are capable of a tremendous amount of effort. This is possible only when we are inspired; otherwise, the ability remains dormant. How can we bring about inspiration, and why does it matter? The quality of an action depends upon the ideals, which guide and inspire an individual.

Ideals are essential for us all in life, because a person with no ideals feels fatigued in his work. This fatigue is caused by strain and stress, which we invite by craving for indulgence in sense objects and ceaseless expectation of the fruits of our actions. When we work with a mind constantly turned towards the results, our attention is diverted away from the work at hand and we are exhausted by even the slightest effort.

Our work is love made visible. The ideal pointed out in Hinduism to all who seek to achieve something in this world is a person who does not work in the world for profit, nor for success or recognition, but from a feeling of self-fulfilment that he did the best he could. Such a person works from happiness, rather than for happiness.

They discover their joy in the precision and perfection of their work, and a silent stream of joy sings a secret song at all times in their heart. They do not care whether others recognise them or not. They are a master of circumstances, a ruler of their own generation. Such a person is truly independent and capable of giving to the world more than what they take for themselves.

Faith is power; faith fulfils. This is the secret of achievement, whether the desire is for worldly things or for the fulfilment in spiritual life. I pray for faith.

Hari Om.


WED 05:45 Farming Today (m001sd8r)
15/11/23 - NI badger cull, environmental payment stacking and brassica breeding

Farmers in Northern Ireland have been left wondering what's next after a proposal to cull badgers to prevent the spread of bovine TB was quashed by a court last month, which found the consultation behind the cull was flawed. At the time, the Ulster Farmers’ Union described the decision as "a major blow for livestock farmers"...saying it could now "take years before the issue of the TB reservoir in wildlife is addressed." The Northern Ireland Badger Group - which brought the legal challenge alongside Wild Justice - said "a farmer-led cull would inflict immense suffering on great numbers of healthy badgers."

Farmers in England are being warned that even if they take up multiple options to 'stack' Government payments for environmental work under the new post-Brexit support scheme, they will not receive the same amount of funding they used to get, under the EU's Basic Payments Scheme. That's according to new research by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, which found taking up multiple payments can bring stability to farm incomes, but that farmers have to judge how much it might cost them to take up the work, before committing to it.

And brassica crops like cabbages or cauliflowers face many challenges in the field. Pests, diseases and the weather can all reduce yields and affect their quality, which can cause farmers to lose income. We hear from scientists at the University of Warwick, who have been working to develop new varieties which can be more resistant to difficult weather conditions, disease and pests.

Presented by Anna Hill
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons


WED 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b02tvys6)
Osprey

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.

Steve Backshall presents the osprey. Ospreys are fish-eaters and the sight of one of these majestic birds plunging feet first to catch its prey is a sight to cherish. The return of the ospreys is one of the great UK conservation stories. After extinction through egg-collecting and shooting in the 19th and early 20th centuries, birds returned in the 1950s and have responded well to protection.


WED 06:00 Today (m001scqp)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


WED 09:00 Life Changing (m001scrc)
Bluebells on Bunny Hill

When Alan and Irene met in 1959, their connection was instant. The two isolated children aged just seven and nine found warmth and kindness in each other in a children’s home that was unwelcoming and strict. They would steal moments together up on Bunny Hill and talk about their lives. But the home had a rule that boys and girls could not mix. So when their friendship was discovered, a year after they first met, Alan and Irene were separated. It would take four decades for them to find each other again.


WED 09:30 Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley (m001scrp)
Walk Backwards

Step out - backwards! The Chinese have a saying that 100 steps backwards are worth 1000 steps forward - and they might be onto something! It may look bizarre to onlookers, but Michael delves into the research and finds some surprising benefits. It’s been used for decades in rehabilitative physical therapy, and recent research reveals that it could even boost memory - by giving your brain a workout! Michael also speaks to biomechanics expert and champion of backwards walking, Professor Janet Dufek from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, whose research suggests that walking backwards could help with lower back pain. They discuss why walking backwards is so beneficial for our muscles and how to do it safely. Volunteer Nina takes her daughter with her for a backward stroll - and gets a laugh out of it!

New episodes will be released on Wednesdays, but if you’re in the UK, listen to new episodes, a week early, first on BBC Sounds: bbc.in/3zqa6BB

Producer: Nija Dalal-Small
Science Producer: Catherine Wyler
Assistant Producer: Gulnar Mimaroglu
Trainee Assistant Producer: Toni Arenyeka
Executive Producer: Zoe Heron
A BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds / BBC Radio 4.


WED 09:45 Irresistible: How Cuteness Wired Our Brains and Conquered the World by Joshua Paul Dale (m001sd10)
The Border Between Wild and Tame

Why are some things cute, and others not? And how did cuteness go global, from manga cartoons to Disney characters? These are questions explored by Joshua Paul Dale, a Professor in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at Tokyo Gakugei University. He’s a pioneer in the field of cuteness studies, and his new book looks at how the cute aesthetic spread around the globe, from Lolita fashion and emojis to the unstoppable rise of Hello Kitty.

In Episode 3, Joshua visits Zao Fox Village, some 300 kilometres north of Tokyo where he lives. There, Japanese tourists flock to cuddle baby foxes and admire their cuteness. But the foxes remain wild - despite human contact, they do not respond to human affection. Professor Dale then tells the fascinating story of a Russian experiment to tame wild foxes, through selective breeding across many generations. The experiment was secret – this kind of genetic science was banned in the Soviet Union. It was also highly effective, yielding startling results.

Reader: Adam Sims
Abridged and produced by Elizabeth Burke
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4


WED 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001scsj)
Justice Secretary Alex Chalk on sentencing reforms

After a reshuffle that saw Suella Braverman leave her post as Home Secretary, and left the government with no women in the “big four” offices of state, Justice Secretary Alex Chalk spoke to Emma Barnett. They discussed the impact of the reshuffle, as well as sentencing reforms which will affect women, and the alleged rapist currently serving as a Conservative MP.

Endometriosis is a chronic condition which affects one in 10 women, for whom tissue similar to the lining of the womb starts to grow in other places, causing debilitating pain and in some cases fertility complications. But a charity that looks to support women suffering from the condition - Endometriosis South Coast - has faced criticism this week after announcing that a trans woman, Steph Richards, would be their new CEO. The decision to appoint Steph was made by Jodie Hughes, Chair of the Trustees, who also founded the charity. They spoke to Emma about the appointment.

Lisa Lintott always enjoyed writing, but being a single mum meant that this had to take a back seat. But when her son Jazz, an aspiring actor, found that he was only being sent typecast roles, Lisa enrolled herself into a creative writing masters and wrote her own play, casting her son in the lead role. Going for Gold, which tells the life story of British boxer Frankie Lucas, has since won multiple awards, including Best Production Play, Best Producer and Best Actor at this year’s Black British Theatre Awards, catapulting them both into the spotlight. Jazz and Lisa told Emma about this unexpected partnership.

Minnie the Minx is turning 70. In December the much loved Beano cartoon character will celebrate 70 years since her first appearance. The writers and illustrators of the Beano, based in Dundee, Scotland, created Minnie to “be just as tough as the boys” and “kick back against pre-war societal norms.” Well, that was in 1953. Today, a special edition of The Beano is coming out, guest-edited by England's football captain, Leah Williamson. Laura Howell has been drawing Minnie since 2018 and explained why Minnie’s popularity has endured.


WED 11:00 Nato's Newest Member (m001scsz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Monday]


WED 11:30 Being Roman with Mary Beard (m001sctb)
2: The Vengeance of Turia

Beneath starched Shakespearean togas and the pungent fug of gladiator sweat there are real Romans waiting to be discovered. To know what it was to be Roman you need to gather the scattered clues until they form a living, breathing human, witness to the highs and horrors of Europe’s greatest empire.

Mary Beard, Britain’s best-selling historian of the ancient world, rebuilds the lives of six citizens of the Roman Empire, from a slave to an emperor. Her investigations reveal the stressful reality of Roman childhood, the rights of women and rules of migration, but it’s the thoughts and feelings of individual Romans she’s really interested in.

In the second episode we meet a woman caught up in a brutal civil war. Turia’s story starts with the murder of her parents. She tracks down their killers and fights off scavenging relatives desperate for a piece of her inheritance. Before she has a moment to settle her new husband is forced on the run, fleeing the murderous junta that’s taken over the empire after the murder of Julius Caesar. She’s badly beaten by the leadership's thugs as she pleads her husband’s case, but will her sacrifices ensure his safety?

Producer: Alasdair Cross

Expert Contributors: Greg Woolf, UCLA; Matthew Nicholls, Oxford University; Helen King, Open University

Cast: Voice of Laudatio Turiae read by Don Gilet

Special thanks to the National Museum of Rome, Baths of Diocletian


WED 12:00 News Summary (m001sd1s)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


WED 12:04 You and Yours (m001scv3)
Stealing Fuel, Advent Calendars, Black Friday Tactics

Why independent non-food shops are banking on Advent calendars this Christmas and after being caught out by the weather will fashion stores be offering deep Black Friday discounts?


WED 12:57 Weather (m001scvk)
The latest weather forecast


WED 13:00 World at One (m001scvw)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.


WED 13:45 The Great Post Office Trial (m001scw7)
15. Breaking Lee Castleton

The Post Office Horizon Scandal has been called the widest miscarriage of justice in modern British history, with the number of former Sub Postmasters whose convictions have been overturned now over 60. Those who suffered prosecution or financial ruin due to errors on the Post Office's Horizon computer system want answers. How could this have happened? Who is responsible?

Continuing the series that has helped expose the scandal since 2020, Nick Wallis draws on interviews, documents and the extraordinary revelations spilling out of the ongoing public inquiry. For the first time, the public is getting real insight into what was really going on inside the Post Office.

In Episode 15, we hear how the Post Office ruined the life of Lee Castleton, a Sub Postmaster based in Bridlington who was taken to court over debts he says came from the Horizon computer system. New evidence reveals that the Post Office failed to investigate Lee's claims of computer errors in depth before taking him to court, and shows that evidence that may have cast doubt on Horizon was known about but not provided at the trial.

Presenter: Nick Wallis
Producer: Robert Nicholson
Sound Design and Mixing: Arlie Adlington
Executive Producer: Will Yates

A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4


WED 14:00 The Archers (m001scwp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Tuesday]


WED 14:15 Elsinore (m0009rj7)
Series 2

Episode 2

by Sebastian Baczkiewicz

Claudius, lately returned to his brother King Hamlet's side in Denmark, soon finds himself dispatched to negotiate with Norwegian freedom fighters who have taken hundreds of Danes hostage at the Royal Theatre in Oslo.

King Hamlet . . . John Heffernan
Claudius . . . John Light
Polonius . . . Clive Hayward
Gertrude . . . Lyndsey Marshal
Lindstrom . . . Pip Torrens
Fortinbras . . . Will Kirk
Schroeder . . . Neil McCaul
Martin . . . Ikky Elyas
Lieutenant . . . Greg Jones

Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko and Marc Beeby


WED 15:00 Money Box (m001scx2)
Money Box Live: How to Save for Children

Most people would like to save for their children but it's not always straightforward. There are questions about the best accounts, about how much you can afford - and about what those children might decide to spend the money on once they hit 18!

According to Standard Life 7 out of 10 parents are worried they're not saving enough for their youngsters' futures.

Felicity Hannah is joined by Kirsty Stone, a Chartered Financial Planner at the financial adviser The Private Office and Stephanie Fitzgerald, Head of Young People Programmes at The Money Charity to answer your comments and questions.

Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Producer: Sarah Rogers
Reporter: Eimear Devlin
Editor: Jess Quayle

(This programme was first broadcast on Wednesday the 15th of November at 3pm).


WED 15:30 All in the Mind (m001scxf)
New psychosis drug, why its hard to recall 2021, and counselling in later life

A new medication for psychosis is on the horizon. It's called KarXT and it could mean fewer side effects as well as finally some relief from difficulties with attention, concentration and memory - these are the symptoms patients often report as having the greatest impact on their lives but which current antipsychotics do not help with. KarXT has been through both phase 2 and 3 trials and now awaits approval by the FDA. Dr Thomas Kabir, a researcher from the University of Oxford who lives with psychosis and takes antipsychotics, talks to Claudia Hammond about the trial he is about to run with KarXT and the hopes he has for it, both professionally and personally.

And is your memory of 2021 a little shaky? If so, you wouldn't be the only one. Professor Catherine Loveday from the University of Westminster discusses a new study which asked people to date public and cultural events from the last six years and found that events from 2021 are unusually hard to pin down.

Finally, a look at counselling for people in their 70s and 80s. Counsellor Helen Kewell talks to Claudia about her new book reporting from the frontline of counselling people in later life. She tells us about the difference between a counsellor and a befriender, why we should talk more about our own death and how she handled it when one client fell asleep in their session.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Lorna Stewart
Studio Manager: Tim Heffer
Production Co-ordination: Siobhan Maguire
Editor: Holly Squire


WED 16:00 Sideways (m001scxr)
53. Stories of a Father

Violinist and composer Diana Yukawa lost her father, Akihisa Yukawa, in the Japan Air Lines Flight 123 plane crash of August 1985. The crash was just five weeks before she was born. As she grew up, Diana wanted to get to know her father.

Matthew Syed, explores the profound relationship that can exist between parent and child separated by a loss of this kind, and the role of storytelling in creating those connections.

Writer Ashley Reese’s husband, Rob, died of cancer in 2022. Ashley is planning to get pregnant with hers and Rob’s child using IVF. She is making plans for their future child to know their father.

Featuring Diana Yukawa, Ashley Reese and clinical psychologist Dr Emma Svanberg.

Presenter: Matthew Syed
Producer: Amalie Sortland
Series editor: Katherine Godfrey
Sound design and mix: Naomi Clarke
Theme tune by Ioana Selaru
A Novel production for BBC Radio 4


WED 16:30 The Media Show (m001scy2)
Suella Braverman's high-risk media strategy

It's a week since Suella Braverman published that article about the policing of protests in The Times and the repercussions are still being felt. We consider why ministers still go direct to the papers with such statements. And we explore the relationship between journalists and the military, hearing from journalists from CNN and Channel 4 who recently embedded with the Israel Defence Forces in Gaza.

Guests: Geri Scott, Senior Political correspondent, The Times; Nic Robertson, International Diplomatic Editor, CNN; Jo Tanner, Senior Director, ACPO Worldwide; Michael Crick, journalist; Tim Marshall, journalist

Presenter: Ros Atkins

Producer: Simon Richardson


WED 17:00 PM (m001scyl)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


WED 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001sczk)
The plan has been ruled unlawful by the UK's Supreme Court


WED 18:30 Glenn Moore's Almanac (m001sczz)
Royal Wedding

Comedian Glenn Moore looks in his almanac at major world events and what he was doing at the time. In this episode, a Royal Wedding is the backdrop to a massive crisis in Glenn’s own love life.

Perhaps best-known for his outrageously brilliant one-liners on Mock The Week , Glenn delivers a tale of comic mishaps and extraordinary scenes interwoven with a big event in history – and looks back through his almanac to find out other strange connections to the day as well.

Written by Glenn with additional material by Katie Storey (Have I Got News For You, Mock The Week, The Last Leg) and produced and directed by David Tyler (Cabin Pressure,“Armando Iannucci’s Charm Offensive, and many more).

A Pozzitive production for BBC Radio 4


WED 19:00 The Archers (m001sd0j)
Lilian suggests to Alice that the Grange Farm land could be a good acquisition for The Stables. Perhaps Harry might have an opinion? Alice admits he gave her his card, but she dismisses Lilian’s urge to matchmake. By coincidence, Harry appears with treats for Sadie. Lilian launches into her idea of creating an equine wellness centre, while Alice is cagey, keen to end the conversation.

Later, Lilian tells Alice off for being rude to Harry. Alice apologises and Lilian points out that spending a bit of time with him wouldn’t be the end of the world. Alice rings Harry to apologise for her behaviour earlier. Harry tells her not to worry. Before hanging up Alice says perhaps she could still take him on that tour of The Stables sometime.

On their way to Ruairi’s birthday party, Kate justifies saying no to Alan’s idea of church yoga sessions. Jakob tells her Alan’s vetoed this year’s Christmas tree to save money. Kate then rules herself out of volunteering to help produce a Christmas show. On arrival at the party, Jakob spots no-one else is in costume - Kate forgot to tell the others. Jakob feels like a prize idiot, dressed as a centurion. Both Ben and Alice try to make Jakob feel better, while later on Kate admits she was wrong about Jakob - he’s a team player when it counts. Jakob then reveals he’s helping Usha with the Christmas show and thinks Kate should help too, if she wants, whatever Peggy’s position. Kate agrees to do it, just for Jakob.


WED 19:15 Front Row (m001sd13)
The Barber of Seville in Yorkshire dialect, Art as experience, Turner Prize nominee Jesse Darling, Northern Creative Corridor

Ian McMillan explains the challenge of translating Rossini's comedy opera, The Barber of Seville, into Yorkshire dialect and singers Oscar Castellino and Felicity Buckland along with pianist Pete Durant perform two of the Yorkshire-ised arias from this new production live in the Front Row studio.

Our relationships with art objects is a subject that many visual artists are currently exploring. Two such artists are Johanna Billing and Stuart Semple who joined Nick in the Front Row studio to discuss why they think art as an object is getting in the way of appreciating art as an experience.

Jesse Darling is the first in Front Row' series of interviews with the artists who are nominated for this year's Turner Prize. He uses sculpture, installation, text and sound in his work to react to the world around him, for instance contorting roller coaster tracks in an expression of life's messiness. The exhibition continues at the Towner Eastbourne, and the winner of the prize will be announced in December.

The Royal Society of Arts is leading a coalition to create a ‘Northern Cultural Corridor’. Comprising leading figures in the creative industries, alongside local governments across the North of England, it is looking for ways to boost the cultural potential of the north. Andy Haldane CEO of the RSA explains how they will set about it.

Presenter: Nick Ahad
Producer: Ekene Akalawu


WED 20:00 AntiSocial (m001s62y)
Political symbols at work

A photo that appeared to show an NHS healthcare worker wearing a Palestine badge caused a heated debate on social media. Some say during the current conflict between Israel and Hamas, the Palestine flag becomes a political symbol and therefore breaches the principal that NHS staff should appear to be impartial. Others point to a double standard and question why the poppy can be worn by state sector workers even though some believe it is a political symbol. What counts as 'political' and how free should we feel in the workplace to express our beliefs?


WED 20:45 From Fact to Fiction (m001s63b)
Amazon Worrier

Rachel Trezise creates a fictional response to a story in the news this week as warehouse operatives at Amazon go on strike, and the year's dream Christmas toys list is published.

She can't cross the picket line. Can she? Her Welsh relatives would be horrified: union solidarity is in her blood. But Ava's Christmas list is long and detailed.

'One of Britain's most outstanding and original' writers, Rachel Trezise is a novelist and playwright from the Rhondda Valley, South Wales. She has been described by critics as 'a master of tragi-comic fiction' and her work has won the Orange Futures award and International Dylan Thomas Prize.

Reader...Yasemin Özdemir
Producer... Mary Ward-Lowery


WED 21:00 When It Hits the Fan (m001sd1x)
The King’s PR, Shell and a million-dollar handbag

As the King marks his 75th birthday, David Yelland and Simon Lewis look at how the Palace is using artificial intelligence to track public sentiment, what series six of The Crown means for the Royal PR strategy, and the thorny issue of Prince Harry’s court crusade.

Also in this episode – Shell’s drive to change how 18 to 24 year olds feel about fossil fuels.

And Pharrell Williams' million-dollar handbag for Louis Vuitton – why it is good PR to make people jealous and mad as hell?

Producer: Eve Streeter
Editor: Sarah Teasdale
Executive Producer: William Miller
Researcher: Sophie Smith
Music by Eclectic Sounds
A Raconteur production for BBC Radio 4


WED 21:30 The Media Show (m001scy2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 today]


WED 22:00 The World Tonight (m001sd2d)
Emergency legislation after Rwanda asylum plan ruled unlawful

Ten members of Labour's front bench resign or are sacked for backing Gaza ceasefire

Israel's military publishes a video showing guns stored inside Gaza's biggest hospital


WED 22:45 Brother of the More Famous Jack by Barbara Trapido (m001sd2w)
Episode 3

Brother of the More Famous Jack is Barbara Trapido’s first novel. Published in 1982, it soon acquired countless fans as well as winning prizes and, in more recent years, admirers including :

'The perfect book' - Meg Mason

'The best possible company in this difficult world' - Ann Patchett

'A daisy bomb of joy' - Maria Semple

'Funny, charming, teeming with life, and real' - Nick Hornby

'I adored it . Redolent of classics like The Constant Nymph with both its true voice and wonderfully sage and sanguine heroine' - Sophie Dahl

'Reading it again is as comforting as eating toast and Marmite between clean, fresh sheets' - Rachel Cooke, Sunday Times

Eighteen-year-old Katherine - bright, stylish, frustratedly suburban - doesn't know how her life will change when the brilliant Jacob Goldman first offers her a place at university. When she enters the Goldmans' rambling bohemian home, presided over by the beatific matriarch Jane, she realises that Jacob and his family are everything she has been waiting for.

Sally Phillips, much loved star of Clare in the Community, returns to BBC Radio 4 with this delightful comic tale of the joys and anguish of young love.

Abridged by Mark Kilfoyle and Jill Waters
Produced by Jill Waters
Read by Sally Phillips
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4


WED 23:00 Big Little Questions (m001sd3l)
Anna Asks...

Comedians Chris Cantrill and Amy Gledhill, aka The Delightful Sausage, tackle big questions from the curious minds of little kids.

Anna’s actually quite insulting question sends Chris and Amy on a quest to explore the world of accents. Nirmal bores on about some Pickle who saved World War Two and Amy embarks on a lucrative side-hustle in the Big Smoke. Warning: this episode contains severely regional vowel sounds!

Cast:
Chris Cantrill
Amy Gledhill
Sunil Patel
Emily Lloyd-Saini

Written by Chris Cantrill and Amy Gledhill
Researcher - Tashi Radha
Original Music - Joe da Costa
Sound Design - Alisdair McGregor
Produced by Hannah Moulder

A Various Artists Ltd production for BBC Radio 4


WED 23:15 The Skewer (m001sd3z)
Series 10

Episode 6

Fresh from winning gold for Best Comedy at the British Podcast Awards (and highly commended as Podcast of the Year), Jon Holmes's comedy current affairs concept album returns for its 10th series to remix the news into satirical shapes.

This week - Nadine vs The Evil Dead, It’s Always Sunny in Philadeph-kier, and The Return of David Cameron.

Creator / Producer: Jon Holmes

An unusual production for BBC Radio 4


WED 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001sd4d)
News, views and features on today's stories in Parliament



THURSDAY 16 NOVEMBER 2023

THU 00:00 Midnight News (m001sd4r)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


THU 00:30 Irresistible: How Cuteness Wired Our Brains and Conquered the World by Joshua Paul Dale (m001sd10)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Wednesday]


THU 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001sd52)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


THU 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001sd5f)
World Service

BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


THU 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001sd5s)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


THU 05:30 News Briefing (m001sd60)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


THU 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001sd69)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Brahmacharini Shripriya Chaitanya

The purpose of knowledge according to Hinduism

Good morning.

Diwali is celebrated through the lighting of lamps. Traditionally, the lamps were made of clay, filled with ghee or clarified butter and a simple cotton wick. They are then placed all around as well as at the family altar and at the entrance to the home so that the way in is clearly lit.

Within Hindu culture and in the scriptures, the symbolism of light is very important. By lighting a lamp, we dispel darkness. Darkness is representative of ignorance or of the various negativities that exist within our mind. The light that we kindle represents knowledge or the wealth the virtues that is cultivated in order to displace those negativities.

There is a very famous Hindu prayer which says: lead us from the unreal to the real; from darkness to light; from death to immortality. The unreal is darkness, which is death. How do we counter darkness? With what is real: that is light and that is immortality.

The purpose of knowledge according to Hinduism is not for us to educate ourselves more about this changing world. It is to help us discover the unchanging Reality that lies beyond this creation; by knowing which, we go beyond change and death. In order to seek and gain this knowledge the lamp itself shows us the way. Any flame that is lit always burns upwards. Thus, when we constantly lift ourselves to think of something greater, nobler and vaster than our individual selves, we too will progress towards knowledge.

I pray for the light of virtues, love and knowledge to be kindled within. I pray that we may each be a light unto ourselves, and through God's grace, a light to those around us.

Hari Om


THU 05:45 Farming Today (m001sd6k)
16/11/23 Faked evidence in livestock shed planning applications, sprouts

The widespread use of fake evidence in planning applications from livestock farms may have led to increased water pollution in Northern Ireland, including the toxic blue-green algae we reported on this summer in Lough Neagh. That’s according to the Belfast based investigative journalism network, The Detail.
Since 2015 farmers in Northern Ireland wanting to build new sheds to house livestock like pigs and poultry have had to submit soil samples to show their land will be able to absorb the extra animal waste, or slurry, without it running off into rivers and causing pollution. A planning expert tells us there are systemic failures in environmental protection in Northern Ireland.

Heavy rainfall in recent weeks has turned many fields into quagmires, making the harvesting of vegetables a particular challenge and that includes brassicas which we’re talking about all this week on the programme. T.H. Clements is one of the country's largest suppliers of brassicas, with 11,000 acres in Lincolnshire and another 1,000 in Cornwall. Our reporter Bob Walker's been seeing how workers are currently braving the mud to bring in the sprout harvest.

Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.


THU 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b03jz1hj)
Whooper Swan

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.

Chris Packham presents the whooper swan. The elegance and beauty of wild swans has inspired writers and musicians across the centuries – the most familiar perhaps being Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake, which may well have been inspired by the Whooper swan.


THU 06:00 Today (m001sdr3)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


THU 09:00 In Our Time (m001sdrt)
The Theory of the Leisure Class

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the most influential work of Thorstein Veblen (1857-1929). In 1899, during America’s Gilded Age, Veblen wrote The Theory of the Leisure Class as a reminder that all that glisters is not gold. He picked on traits of the waning landed class of Americans and showed how the new moneyed class was adopting these in ways that led to greater waste throughout society. He called these conspicuous leisure and conspicuous consumption and he developed a critique of a system that favoured profits for owners without regard to social good. The Theory of the Leisure Class was a best seller and funded Veblen for the rest of his life, and his ideas influenced the New Deal of the 1930s. Since then, an item that becomes more desirable as it becomes more expensive is known as a Veblen good.

With

Matthew Watson
Professor of Political Economy at the University of Warwick

Bill Waller
Professor of Economics at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, New York

And

Mary Wrenn
Senior Lecturer in Economics at the University of the West of England

Producer: Simon Tillotson

Reading list:

Charles Camic, Veblen: The Making of an Economist who Unmade Economics (Harvard University Press, 2021)

John P. Diggins, Thorstein Veblen: Theorist of the Leisure Class (Princeton University Press, 1999)

John P. Diggins, The Bard of Savagery: Thorstein Veblen and Modern Social Theory (Seabury Press, 1978)

John Kenneth Galbraith, The Affluent Society (Penguin, 1999)

Robert Heilbroner, The Worldly Philosophers: The Lives, Times and Ideas of the Great Economic Thinkers (Penguin, 2000), particularly the chapter ‘The Savage Society of Thorstein Veblen’

Ken McCormick, Veblen in Plain English: A Complete Introduction to Thorstein Veblen’s Economics (Cambria Press, 2006)

Sidney Plotkin and Rick Tilman, The Political Ideas of Thorstein Veblen (Yale University Press, 2012)

Juliet B. Schor, The Overspent American: Why We Want What We Don't Need (William Morrow & Company, 1999)

Juliet B. Schor, Born to Buy: The Commercialized Child and the New Consumer Culture (Simon & Schuster Ltd, 2005)

Thorstein Veblen, The Theory of the Leisure Class (first published 1899; Oxford University Press, 2009)

Thorstein Veblen, The Theory of Business Enterprise (first published 1904; Legare Street Press, 2022)

Thorstein Veblen, The Higher Learning in America (first published 2018; Johns Hopkins University Press, 2015)

Thorstein Veblen, Absentee Ownership and Business Enterprise in Recent Times: The Case of America (first published 1923; Routledge, 2017)

Thorstein Veblen, Conspicuous Consumption (Penguin, 2005)

Thorstein Veblen, The Complete Works (Musaicum Books, 2017)

Charles J. Whalen (ed.), Institutional Economics: Perspective and Methods in Pursuit of a Better World (Routledge, 2021)


THU 09:45 Irresistible: How Cuteness Wired Our Brains and Conquered the World by Joshua Paul Dale (m001sdsx)
Beautiful Babies

Why are some things cute, and others not? And how did cuteness go global, from manga cartoons to Disney characters? These are questions explored by Joshua Paul Dale, a Professor in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at Tokyo Gakugei University. He’s a pioneer in the field of cuteness studies, and his new book looks at how the cute aesthetic spread around the globe, from Lolita fashion and emojis to the unstoppable rise of Hello Kitty.

In Episode 4, Joshua explores the cult of Shirley Temple – and reveals the troubling connection between concepts of “cuteness” and racist attitudes in the past. He begins with a history of baby shows.

PT Barnum, the legendary showman who founded the famous Barnum’s circus, was a major influence on American popular culture in the 19th century. In the 1850s, while organising flower, dog and poultry shows, he was struck by the thought that the public would flock to a competition that judged babies. Barnum’s first baby show, held in 1855, attracted more than 60,000 spectators, who each paid 25 cents to view the 143 contestants. Women comprised three-quarters of the guests. In Europe, baby shows were seen as distinctly American and slightly vulgar - but they drew in the crowds nonetheless.

Reader: Adam Sims
Abridged and produced by Elizabeth Burke
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4


THU 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001sdsk)
Dr Who actor Jemma Redgrave on the show's new 60th anniversary shows and the history of eyeliner

It’s Doctor Who’s 60th year and to celebrate, there will be three anniversary specials coming to your screens starting next week. Jemma Redgrave will be returning as Kate Stewart - Chief Scientific Officer at UNIT - the military organisation set up to investigate alien threats to earth. Jemma speaks to Emma Barnett about what we can expect and what it is like being a part of the show.

Professor Dame Lesley Regan talks about the decision to let women access the contraceptive pill from pharmacies in England, from next month, without the need for a GP appointment.

There is going to be a new parental leave policy in France. Parents will be entitled to “family leave” worth half their salary for up to a year. We talk a lot on Woman’s Hour about the maternity leave, paternity leave and shared parental leave policies in this country – but what could we learn by looking abroad? Professor Alison Koslowski from University College London and Elena Brown from Rand Europe outline and discuss the different policies.

Emmy-nominated film director Nisha Pahuja joins Woman’s Hour to talk about her new documentary, To Kill A Tiger. It focuses on Ranjit, the father of a young girl in a tribal Indian village who has been sexually assaulted, and his battle for justice. Nisha tells Emma why she wanted to make a film about this and the important changes it has made.

Eyeliner is one of the most enduring cosmetic tools; it is an aesthetic trademark that was favoured by the ancient Egyptian Queen Nerfertiti, the late singer Amy Winehouse and still up there now, with Z beauty influencers. Writer Zahra Hankir reports its history in her new book Eyeliner.

Presenter: Emma Barnett
Producer: Lisa Jenkinson
Studio Manager: Bob Nettles


THU 11:00 From Our Own Correspondent (m001sdt1)
Cambodia’s sunken villages

Kate Adie presents stories from Cambodia, Colombia, India, Fiji and Kenya.

The Mekong river provides a living for tens of millions of people who live along its banks across five East and South East Asian countries. However, new hydroelectric dams have upended communities which have lived along the river for millennia, with some Cambodian villages flooded to make way for new dam projects. Laura Bicker takes a journey to the heart of the Mekong river system to meet people recently displaced.

Four people have been arrested in Colombia in connection with the kidnapping of the father of the Liverpool footballer, Luis Diaz, who was released after two weeks of being held captive. The suspects are said to belong to a gang called Los Primos, with ties to the leftist rebel group, the National Liberation Army or ELN. Will Grant – an ardent Liverpool fan – was in Colombia as the situation unfolded.

Delhi’s air pollution is a year-round, chronic problem, but the city’s toxic smog becomes especially dangerous each winter. This year is no exception and the levels of pollutants in the air have been measuring close to ten times the acceptable limit in recent weeks. Geeta Pandey reports on how her fellow Delhiites are coping.

Kava is a psychoactive drink made from the bitter kava plant, and has been enjoyed in by Pacific Islanders for centuries - but in recent years there’s been rising international demand for the drink. Mark Stratton travelled to Fiji to see how this is affecting communities there, and to try kava for himself.

On Monday, Kenyans were given a special holiday to plant trees as part of the government’s ambitious goal to plant 15 billion new trees over the next ten years. Although the national tree planting initiative has proved popular, some have criticised the government for its recent decision to lift a ban on logging, reports Anne Soy.

Producer: Viv Jones
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman


THU 11:30 A Good Read (m001sd5j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 on Tuesday]


THU 12:00 News Summary (m001sdvq)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


THU 12:04 You and Yours (m001sdtv)
Gap Finders: Kate Stewart

Today's Gap Finder is Kate Stewart who grew up on the Clubmoor estate in Liverpool. Kate left school without many qualifications and had her daughter at the age of seventeen.

Kate worked in burger vans on Liverpool's biggest clubbing streets, cleaned hotel rooms, worked in beauty salons and even had a job as a Christmas elf at the Heritage Market before becoming the boss of the market herself. Kate turned the market around, and invested in beauty salons and property - including the Sandon Hotel, famous for its connections with Liverpool Football Club.

Now Kate's main interest is running Vitality Homes - an accommodation and rehab service for people who have addiction issues. Kate also opens up her hotel to local families to keep warm and serve meals in the winter, as well as buying school uniforms for hundreds of children whose families were struggling to afford them.

Kate joins Winifred to talk about her life, how she made her money, and why giving back to the people of Liverpool is important to her.

PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON
PRODUCER: LYDIA THOMAS


THU 12:32 Sliced Bread (m001sdv9)
Sports Bras

Are expensive sports bras worth the money?

Buying a sports bra can be a baffling experience, not least because of the marketing terminology which is full of buzz-phrases like 'high intensity support', 'specialist materials' and 'racer backs'.

Listener Teresa has seen sports bras ranging in price from just a few pounds to three figures and wants to know if paying more means you get greater support.

Greg speaks to Professor Joanna Wakefield-Scurr, 'The Bra Professor', to take a deep dive into the science and find out more. Can one sports bra suit all sports, like running and yoga? Does the support reduce over time? And when should you wash or replace your sports bra?

If you’ve seen an ad, trend or fad relating to another consumer product and wonder if there’s any evidence to back up a claim, then email us: sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk or you can send a voice note to our WhatsApp number: 07543 306807

Presenter: Greg Foot
Producer: Emma Salkeld


THU 12:57 Weather (m001sdvv)
The latest weather forecast


THU 13:00 World at One (m001sdwb)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.


THU 13:45 The Great Post Office Trial (m001sdwt)
16. Closed Ranks

The Post Office Horizon Scandal has been called the widest miscarriage of justice in modern British history, with the number of former Sub Postmasters whose convictions have been overturned now over 60. Those who suffered prosecution or financial ruin due to errors on the Post Office's Horizon computer system want answers. How could this have happened? Who is responsible?

Continuing the series that has helped expose the scandal since 2020, Nick Wallis draws on interviews, documents and the extraordinary revelations spilling out of the ongoing public inquiry. For the first time, the public is getting real insight into what was really going on inside the Post Office.

In Episode 16, we hear how newly revealed documents show that the Post Office rejected even internal calls for an independent investigation of Horizon. They instead commissioned a deliberately one sided internal report which never even considered evidence of errors. This report was nevertheless used to justify dismissing Sub Postmasters' concerns and maintaining an aggressive prosecution strategy.

Presenter: Nick Wallis
Producer: Robert Nicholson
Sound Design and Mixing: Arlie Adlington
Executive Producer: Will Yates

A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4


THU 14:00 The Archers (m001sd0j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Wednesday]


THU 14:15 Elsinore (m0009tn5)
Series 2

Episode 3

by Sebastian Baczkiewicz.

King Hamlet's escalating authoritarianism risks tearing Danish society apart and taking the country into war. As brother Claudius struggles with how to respond, he learns of a military plot to topple the King.

Claudius . . . John Light
King Hamlet . . . John Heffernan
Polonius . . . Clive Hayward
Gertrude . . . Lyndsey Marshal
Lindstrom . . . Pip Torrens
Kabanova . . . Jessica Turner
Schroeder . . . Neil McCaul
Catalina . . . Laura Christy
Martin . . . Ikky Elyas
Horatio . . . Greg Jones
Marcellus . . . Will Kirk

Directed by Marc Beeby and Sasha Yevtushenko.


THU 15:00 Open Country (m001sdx2)
Caves and Dragons: Pembrokeshire by Paddleboard

Anna Jones paddleboards the rocky coastline of Pembrokeshire, listening to the mysterious growling sounds of the sea caves. As the tide rises, water sloshes into holes in the rock and squeezes out puffs of air - or could it, maybe, be a dragon? Paddling in and out of the caves and coves, Anna and local instructor Libby Chivers allow their imaginations to run wild, picturing dragons and sea monsters deep in the darkness.

It's easy to get carried away - literally - on an inflatable paddleboard, so Libby shares her top tips for staying safe on the sea. With Stand-Up Paddleboarding becoming ever more popular with water sports amateurs like Anna, rescues are on the rise. Libby shares her story of pulling a panic-stricken girl from the water and explains how lifeguards helped thirty paddleboarders back to the shore in a single day on one Welsh beach.

Swept up by the atmosphere of the sea caves, Anna dries off and heads into Fishguard to learn more about the town's legends and folklore. Amid mysterious tales of pirates, smugglers and mermaids, there's the real-life story of the last invasion of Britain - when French soldiers landed at Fishguard in 1797. Local historian Edward Perkins shares the amazing story of Welsh heroine Jemima Nicholas, who fended them off armed only with a pitchfork.

Presented and produced by Anna Jones


THU 15:27 Radio 4 Appeal (m001scvm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:54 on Sunday]


THU 15:30 Open Book (m001sd0p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]


THU 16:00 Legend (m001sdx8)
The Joni Mitchell Story

3. Blue

Joni Mitchell’s songs have soundtracked our lives and her pioneering work changed music forever. Jesca Hoop explores her extraordinary story to reveal the life behind the legend.

In episode three we follow Joni from 1970 through to 1974 - an incredibly fertile period during which she creates her albums Blue, For the Roses and Court and Spark. A period of romantic highs and lows, heady successes and hermit-like retreats, of psychoanalysis and vulnerability, and of new creative directions.

“I’ve always been a creature of change” – Joni Mitchell

Through archive, fresh interviews, narration, immersive sound design and an original score, we trace the story of an extraordinary life and explore what makes Joni Mitchell a singular artist: the genius of her lyrics; her incredible talent as guitarist, painter and producer; and her restless drive for innovation.

In Legend, we follow Joni from her ‘flatlander’ childhood on the Canadian prairies, through the folk clubs of Toronto and Detroit, to a redwood cottage in L.A.’s Laurel Canyon, to a cave in Crete, to a deserted desert highway, to recording studios and stages around the world. From her earliest home recordings to masterpieces like Blue, Court and Spark, and Hejira, we explore some of the stories behind her best-loved songs and celebrate her remarkable return to live performance in 2023: “like seeing, in the wild, a rare bird long feared extinct”.

Our guide through the series is the California-born, Manchester-based musician, Jesca Hoop. Jesca speaks to musicians like Blake Mills, Allison Russell, Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe, who have played alongside Joni, and we hear tributes from those, like musician John Grant, who have been inspired and influenced by her music. We also hear from Joni's friends, including Larry Klein and Graham Nash; and from music critics and biographers, including Ann Powers, David Yaffe, Lindsay Zoladz, Kate Mossman, Barney Hoskyns, Miles Grier and Jenn Pelly.

The Joni Mitchell Story comes from the production team behind BBC Radio 4’s award-winning podcast Soul Music – “… the gold standard for music podcasts…” (Esquire).

Producers: Mair Bosworth and Eliza Lomas
Production Coordinator: Andrew Lewis
Editor: Chris Ledgard
Story Editor: Emma Harding
Story Consultant: John Yorke
Sound Design and Original Music: Hannis Brown
Studio Engineers: Ilse Lademann and Michael Harrison
Commissioning Editor: Daniel Clarke


THU 16:30 BBC Inside Science (m001sdxj)
Iceland Volcano

An underground river of magma and thousands of tremors have been observed across the Reykjanes peninsula in Iceland. We speak to the scientists monitoring the Fagradalsfjall volcano who explain how this might be ushering in a new era of huge volcanic activity in the country.

Sir Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England and Sir Patrick Vallance, former Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK government are due to appear at the Covid-19 Inquiry next week. It’s the next stage of the public inquiry that began proceedings in July last year. Now it’s focussing on the key questions surrounding how science and the scientific community informed government strategy before, during and after the pandemic. BBC Health Reporter Jim Reed has been attending the inquiry and explains what we know from the evidence that’s been given so far – and what to expect next week.

David Quammen discusses his book ‘Breathless: The Scientific Race to Defeat a Deadly Virus’. It's a thriller-style narrative revealing how scientists responded to the coronavirus pandemic. It’s our final shortlisted book for the Royal Society Science Book Prize. The winner will be announced next week.

Presenter:  Victoria Gill
Producers: Hannah Robins, Harrison Lewis, Alice Lipscombe-Southwell
Editor: Richard Collings   
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

BBC Inside Science is produced in collaboration with the Open University.


THU 17:00 PM (m001sdxq)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


THU 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001sdy8)
Israel has claimed Hamas was using Gaza's biggest hospital as a command centre


THU 18:30 It's a Fair Cop (m000vrj4)
Series 6

2. Malicious Communication

Policeman turned stand-up Alfie Moore takes an audience through real-life crime scenarios. This week Alfie investigates at what point unwanted feedback becomes criminal. How much do we have a right to be protected from the criticisms of others? This week's real case involves a vicar who has been receiving some hate mail...

Written and presented by Alfie Moore
Script editor: Will Ing
Production co-ordinator: Beverly Tagg
Producer: Richard Morris

A BBC Studios Production

First transmitted in May 2021


THU 19:00 The Archers (m001sdwf)
Alice confesses her anxiety about inviting Harry for a tour of The Stables. Lilian says there’s nothing to worry about. But for Alice the elephant in the room is how she handles not drinking alcohol in front of Harry. Lilian suggests she’s over-thinking it, Alice doesn’t have to tell the truth if she doesn’t want to. Lilian thinks Harry is a good thing for Alice, but Alice worries she has too much baggage. Lilian disagrees, Alice shouldn’t let herself be defined by labels like alcoholic or single mum.

At Rob’s flat, Helen just wants to drop off the handmade card Jack forgot yesterday, but the nurse encourages her to give it to Rob herself. Rob’s pleased to see her. When the nurse says she’s leaving, Helen panics. The nurse reassures her, Miles will arrive soon. Helen leaves a message for Miles, urging him to hurry up. When Rob wakes he is surprised anew by Helen’s presence. She shows Rob some photos of Jack. Rob then recalls a time they flew a kite with Henry. Helen leaves the room to call Miles again, but he still doesn’t answer. Pat rings and says Helen sounds strange, before Helen ends the call. Back in Rob’s room, Helen tells Rob about Jack. Rob says Helen’s with him now because they have a bond. When Helen mentions Miles, Rob says he won’t come. Rob tells Helen he’s in torture and asks her to hold a pillow over his face and end his suffering. Helen is horrified, but Rob is convinced it’s what she’s here for.


THU 19:15 Front Row (m001sdyk)
Annette Bening and Jodie Foster

Annette Bening and Jodie Foster star in a new sports biopic Nyad, the eponymous story of Diana Nyad who attempted to swim between Cuba and Florida in her 60s. In an exclusive interview for Front Row, Tom Sutcliffe talks to them about meeting their real-life counterparts, the importance of on screen friendship and getting time to train in the ocean.

Briony Hanson, British Council’s Director of Film and Kevin Le Gendre, author and journalist, review Rustin, a film about Bayard Rustin, the influential gay Black Civil Rights leader responsible for the 1963 March on Washington, and the book Amazing Grace: A Cultural History of the Beloved Hymn by James Walvin.

Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe
Producer: Corinna Jones


THU 20:00 Law in Action (m001sd55)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Tuesday]


THU 20:30 The Bottom Line (m001sdys)
Meetings

On the agenda for the final programme of the current series is meetings. Virtual or in person, it's difficult to avoid a work meeting. So how do you ensure a good meeting? What should their purpose be, how many people should attend, who should speak and when? Evan Davis and guests discuss.

GUESTS

Dave Brittain, Business Development Director, Amazon Fashion Europe

Phil Jones, MD Brother UK

Dr. Sarah Woolley, Senior Research Fellow, Warwick Business School

CLIPS

Series 3 Episode 3 W1A

Writer: John Morton

Rob Mayhew
Brother Meeting Manifesto
Writer: Rob Mayhew

PRODUCTION TEAM

Producer: Julie Ball
Editor: China Collins
Sound: Rod Farquhar and James Beard
Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman


THU 21:00 BBC Inside Science (m001sdxj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:30 today]


THU 21:30 In Our Time (m001sdrt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]


THU 22:00 The World Tonight (m001sdzb)
Israel says body of hostage found

Also in the programme: Suella Braverman offers her solution to Rishi Sunak's Rwanda migrant plan and the stage version of Gwyneth Paltrow’s legal battle over a skiing accident.


THU 22:45 Brother of the More Famous Jack by Barbara Trapido (m001sdzt)
Episode 4

Brother of the More Famous Jack is Barbara Trapido’s first novel. Published in 1982, it soon acquired countless fans as well as winning prizes and, in more recent years, admirers including :

'The perfect book' - Meg Mason

'The best possible company in this difficult world' - Ann Patchett

'A daisy bomb of joy' - Maria Semple

'Funny, charming, teeming with life, and real' - Nick Hornby

'I adored it . Redolent of classics like The Constant Nymph with both its true voice and wonderfully sage and sanguine heroine' - Sophie Dahl

'Reading it again is as comforting as eating toast and Marmite between clean, fresh sheets' - Rachel Cooke, Sunday Times

Eighteen-year-old Katherine - bright, stylish, frustratedly suburban - doesn't know how her life will change when the brilliant Jacob Goldman first offers her a place at university. When she enters the Goldmans' rambling bohemian home, presided over by the beatific matriarch Jane, she realises that Jacob and his family are everything she has been waiting for.

Sally Phillips, much loved star of Clare in the Community, returns to BBC Radio 4 with this delightful comic tale of the joys and anguish of young love.

Abridged by Mark Kilfoyle and Jill Waters
Produced by Jill Waters
Read by Sally Phillips
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4


THU 23:00 The Today Podcast (m001sf06)
Revolting! How much trouble are Sunak and Starmer in?

It's been a week of turmoil in British politics culminating in the government losing its Rwanda case then taking on the Supreme Court – and Labour losing ten from its frontbench following a mass rebellion over Gaza.

There’s plenty for Amol and Nick to get stuck into this week on The Today Podcast as they assess the political landscape and ask, how much trouble are Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer in?

Two of the UK’s pre-eminent lawyers, human rights barrister and Labour peer Helena Kennedy and former Supreme Court justice Jonathan Sumption, give their take on why the government lost its Rwanda case.

Episodes of The Today Podcast land every Thursday and watch out for bonus episodes. Subscribe on BBC Sounds to get Amol and Nick's take on the biggest stories of the week, with insights from behind the scenes at the UK's most influential radio news programme.

If you would like a question answering, get in touch by sending us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 4346 or email us Today@bbc.co.uk

The Today Podcast is hosted by Amol Rajan and Nick Robinson, both presenters of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the UK’s most influential radio news programme. Amol was the BBC’s media editor for six years and is the former editor of the Independent, he’s also the current presenter of University Challenge. Nick has presented the Today programme since 2015, he was the BBC’s political editor for ten years before that and also previously worked as ITV’s political editor.

The producers are Tom Smithard and Rufus Gray. The editors are Jonathan Aspinwall and Louisa Lewis. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.


THU 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001sf0m)
Sean Curran on the fallout from yesterday's court ruling that the Rwanda asylum policy is unlawful.



FRIDAY 17 NOVEMBER 2023

FRI 00:00 Midnight News (m001sf10)
The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 00:30 Irresistible: How Cuteness Wired Our Brains and Conquered the World by Joshua Paul Dale (m001sdsx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:45 on Thursday]


FRI 00:48 Shipping Forecast (m001sf1c)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping.


FRI 01:00 Selection of BBC World Service Programmes (m001sf1l)
World Service

BBC Radio 4 joins the BBC World Service.


FRI 05:20 Shipping Forecast (m001sf1w)
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping


FRI 05:30 News Briefing (m001sf24)
National and international news from BBC Radio 4


FRI 05:43 Prayer for the Day (m001sf2d)
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Brahmacharini Shripriya Chaitanya

Enough hope to keep you happy

Good morning.

This morning I share a blessing given by Swami Chinmayananda. He says " I wish you enough happiness to keep you sweet, enough trials to keep you strong. Enough sorrow to keep you human, enough hope to keep you happy".

For many, prayer is a one-way street of communication. We express to God what we want, how much of it we want, when we want and how we want it. When we get what we want we may remember to offer a prayer of gratitude; more often than not we are simply happy to receive what comes to us and continue on our way.
There is a beautiful prayer expressed by Kunti, the mother of the student in the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna. Kunti meets Shri Krishna after the devastating Mahabharata war and says to him, “may we always be afflicted with problems in life so that we can remember you”.

She speaks a universal truth: for many, prayer is a way of reaching out to God in moments of distress. For her, however, what’s crucial is not to be free from sorrow, but to remember God. Therefore, if our suffering is the easiest way for us to remember God then she asks to suffer as much as necessary to achieve that remembrance.
We’re reminded that through our trials we grow strong and through our sorrow we develop empathy. If we develop the ability to remember God whose love and compassion is infinite, then we have found the key to happiness in life.

And so, I repeat this prayer: I pray that we have enough happiness to keep us sweet, enough trials to keep us strong. Enough sorrow to keep us human, enough hope to keep us happy.

Hari Om.


FRI 05:45 Farming Today (m001sf2m)
Farmers who continually have bovine TB outbreaks on their farms should ‘find another business’. That was what Labour Welsh Senedd member Joyce Watson suggested on the floor of the Senedd earlier this week. Ms Watson was responding to a statement from the Welsh Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths about bovine TB. The Welsh Government published a new 5 year eradication plan for bovine TB earlier this year and the Minister was updating members on progress, announcing increased testing responsibilities from February next year.

This Sunday sees the first screening of a short film about a long distance swim from ‘source to sea’ along Cumbria’s River Eden. It’s part of the session on outdoor swimming at the Kendal Mountain Festival and was undertaken by a familiar voice on this programme, common land and uplands expert, Julia Aglionby. Her aim was not just to enjoy the swim but assess the health of the river.

All this week we're talking about brassicas. Mustard is a specialist crop, mainly grown in the east of England for the company Colman’s. The majority of mustard seed that’s used in Europe is brown seed, grown in Canada and last year drought there caused a shortage. The mustard grown in England tends to be a white seed, but now work is underway to enable English farmers to grow a new overwintered brown seed so the mustard market can be less reliant on Canada.

Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.


FRI 05:58 Tweet of the Day (b04mlvwg)
Rhinoceros Auklet

Tweet of the Day is the voice of birds and our relationship with them, from around the world.

Chris Packham presents the rhinoceros auklet found around the North American western seaboard. Rhinoceros auklets are auks. They look very different to their relatives the puffins or guillemots. They're dark grey-ish brown birds, and in the breeding season both male and female have flowing white plumes above their eyes and behind their orange bills. It is the white vertical plate at the base of its bill which has inspired the birds' common names of "horn-billed puffins" or "unicorn puffins". This horn is only grown in the breeding season; the birds shed it in autumn when they head out to sea. Rhinoceros auklets in burrows or cavities in grassy places or on forest floors: most colonies are small, but some contain a hundred thousand birds which produce a soothing chorus of mooing and grunting sounds, strange to hear in the blackness of a coastal wood.

Producer : Andrew Dawes


FRI 06:00 Today (m001sdqz)
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.


FRI 09:00 Desert Island Discs (m001sdrh)
Peter White, broadcaster

Peter White is an award-winning broadcaster. In 2024 he will celebrate 50 years presenting Radio 4’s In Touch, the programme for blind and visually impaired people. He is also one of the presenters of the network’s consumer series, You and Yours.

Peter was born in 1947 and has been blind since birth. Like his older brother Colin, he has a rare genetic anomaly that meant his optic nerve hadn’t developed properly. From the age of five he boarded at The Royal School of Industry for the Blind where he excelled at Braille and won national reading competitions for several years running. He completed his secondary education at Worcester College for the Blind.

In 1970 he turned up in the reception for the new local radio station BBC Solent and announced that he wanted to present programmes for them. They took him on and he went on to report and present for Link, the station’s programme for blind people. Years later he presented Viewpoint, a two hour live, mainstream mid-morning programme on Radio Solent. His appointment was featured on the 9 O’clock news as he was the first blind presenter to host a live daily topical programme.

In 1995 he was appointed the BBC's Disability Affairs Correspondent - the first totally blind person to produce as well as present reports for television news. Peter has presented other Radio 4 programmes including No Triumph, No Tragedy and Blind Man on the Rampage.

In 1998 he was appointed MBE for services to broadcasting. Peter lives in Marple, Greater Manchester with his second wife Jackie.

DISC ONE: Somebody Who Loves You - Joan Armatrading
DISC TWO: An extract from Hancock’s Half Hour - Sunday Afternoon at Home with
Tony Hancock. With Sidney James, Bill Kerr, Hattie Jacques and Kenneth Williams
DISC THREE: Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye - Ella Fitzgerald
DISC FOUR: Badge - Cream
DISC FIVE: Albatross - Judy Collins
DISC SIX: The Banks of Green Willow. Composed by George Butterworth and performed by The Academy of St Martin in the Fields, conducted by Sir Neville Marriner
DISC SEVEN: My Old Man - Joni Mitchell
DISC EIGHT: We Can Work It Out – The Beatles

BOOK CHOICE: The 1962 edition of the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
LUXURY ITEM: Pear drops
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Albatross - Judy Collins

Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley


FRI 09:45 Irresistible: How Cuteness Wired Our Brains and Conquered the World by Joshua Paul Dale (m001sdsd)
The Future of Cuteness

Why are some things cute, and others not? And how did cuteness go global, from manga cartoons to Disney characters? These are questions explored by Joshua Paul Dale, a Professor in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at Tokyo Gakugei University. He’s a pioneer in the field of cuteness studies, and his new book looks at how the cute aesthetic spread around the globe, from Lolita fashion and emojis to the unstoppable rise of Hello Kitty.

In Episode 5, he tells the story of how emojis were invented by Japanese schoolgirls, looks back to the origins of manga, and explores the future of cuteness with a new kind of furry robot – designed to outlive its owner. He also puts on a “fur-suit” to attend a convention of 9,000 “furries” in Pittsburgh, exploring first-hand what it takes to become cute.

“Cuteness opens doors in our brains that would otherwise remain shut, it breaks down barriers and gives us an opportunity to experience another sort of existence – one in which we guard ourselves a little less and invite others in a little more. In a world that feels increasingly polarised, is this such a bad thing?”

Reader: Adam Sims
Abridged and produced by Elizabeth Burke
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 10:00 Woman's Hour (m001sds8)
Life and work of photographer Tish Murtha, Sitcom Such Brave Girls, Finding your dress shape

Brave Girls is a new sitcom following a dysfunctional family made up of sisters Josie and Billie and their mum Deb. It’s a fictional show exploring trauma but it's a comedy in every sense of the word. Ahead of its release on BBC Three and iPlayer next Wednesday, Anita Rani is joined by Kat Sadler, who plays Josie, and by her real life AND fictional sister Lizzie Davidson, who plays Billie.

Just over a year ago, on 28th October, 2022, we did a nursery and childcare special programme, looking at whether the system needs an overhaul. Early this year, the government announced plans to extend the government's existing offer of 30 hours free childcare to working parents of children aged 9-months to two-years-old in England. Beginning in April 2024, funding will be rolled out in stages. Prior to this, only working parents of three and four-year-olds were entitled to the free 30 hours. Now, new BBC News analysis estimates that demand for places at nurseries and childminders is likely to rise by about 15% - equivalent to more than 100,000 additional children in full-time care. Anita dicusses the issues with Neil Leitch, Chief Executive of the Early Years Alliance.

Tish Murtha is a celebrated photographer whose images of working-class life in North East England can be found in the National Portrait Gallery and Tate Britain. But in her lifetime, Murtha struggled to find work of any kind. Now her daughter, Ella, has made a film about Murtha’s life and work. Ella talks to Anita, along with Jen Corcoran, who produced the documentary.

Are you an apple? A pear? An hourglass? Or even an inverted triangle? For years women have been told to dress for their shape. But our shape doesn’t stay the same over the course of our lifetime. So, how helpful are these shapes? Anita discusses with Anna Berkeley, stylist and founder of the body mapping app, Think Shape, who believes we should actually be more interested in our proportions, and Shakaila Forbes-Bell, Fashion Psychologist and author of Big Dress Energy.

Presented by Anita Rani
Producer: Louise Corley


FRI 11:00 Born in Bradford (m001sdsq)
Around 30,000 Bradford school pupils aged between 11 and 15 are completing detailed questionnaires on every aspect of their lives; from how they spend their free time, to questions about their mental health, their use of social media, their family finances and even details of any risk taking behaviour. These insights will lead to a raft of new approaches aimed at improving their lives.

Winifred Robinson has been alongside Born in Bradford since the start, when more than 11,000 pregnant mothers in the city agreed to be followed through their pregnancies. Now those children are teenagers and the study has been widened to include all pupils across the city. Findings to date have helped inform government policy and have shaped responses to health problems.

Almost half of the mothers in the original cohort were of Pakistani origin and in 2013 Born in Bradford published one of the world’s most detailed studies about cousin marriage. Around sixty four per cent of the Pakistani mothers had married a cousin and researchers found that consanguinity more than doubled the risk of having a child with a genetic disorder: from 2.8 percent in the general population to just over 6 percent.

The researchers have been able to use data from a second cohort of mothers recruited to the study from 2016 onwards and have found that there has been a fall in cousin marriage amongst the city’s Pakistani community; over the last decade it’s gone from being a majority practise to being a minority one.

Professor John Wright, who heads Born in Bradford, said that the rate of cousin marriage had fallen to 46 per cent, with the fall being steepest among younger mothers of Pakistani origin who were born in the UK. There are more of those mothers now. The researchers believe there are a lot of factors at play here – among them tougher immigration laws.

“So we've seen this quite steep reduction in rates of consanguinity and cousin marriage; it may be that the conversations that we've been having to raise awareness about genetic literacy have made an impact. It may be that this is part of acculturation of these young people as they grow up in the UK, with more individualization and more choice. In addition the 2012 Immigration Act made it harder to bring partners in for marriage and this has undoubtedly had an impact.

“When we first published the 2013 paper, there were calls from some of the more right wing media that cousin marriage should be banned. It's a sensitive topic: a billion people across the world practice consanguinity, so the idea that we're going to ban it was just nonsense. We wanted to show the health risk from it and to raise awareness. And we're seeing that effect now, in Bradford with the data that we've got”

Khadija is 32 and works in a nursery in the city. She told the programme that although her parents were first cousins, she had chosen a love match: “ I think a lot more women in the community work and that means you've got more opportunity to meet somebody, and especially with all the social media out there. There are all sorts of options today that weren't available before, when it was a lot harder for you to meet somebody new.

“We're coming to an age now where a lot of young people are not really connected to their Pakistani roots as much as our parents and our grandparents were. We’re moving away from the culture and embracing the British culture a lot more, there's a lot more acceptance. That works in marriage, so there’s more acceptance when it comes to us finding our spouse and getting an education, a degree.”

Seventeen year old Amari agrees, and says that although a lot of people in her family have cousin marriages, she would not chose it for herself: "I would want my babies to be healthy, but I wouldn't go up to my grandparents and say what you're doing is wrong. Or if my cousin got married to my other cousin, I wouldn't go and say what you're doing is wrong. I just wouldn't do it myself because of reasons like that, but also it would be weird to think of marrying one of my cousins and that’s a big thing for me.”


FRI 11:30 Mark Steel's in Town (m000ph4v)
Series 10

Stratford-upon-Avon

Mark Steel returns to Radio 4 with a short series of shows recorded outdoors during the coronavirus pandemic.

The bubonic plague didn't stop Shakespeare from working so for this second outdoor show, Mark performs on a tree stump in The Dell Gardens, Stratford-upon-Avon in front of a small but lovely local crowd.

In between being interrupted by geese, Mark asks the people gathered on the grass in the RSC's outdoor performance area on the banks of the River Avon, just by the church where Shakespeare is buried, across from the Shakespeare ice-cream boat, not far from the Hamlet statue, if they've noticed any sort of theme to the place.

Mark also looks at what else Stratford has to offer and visits the Butterfly Farm, the Tudor World museum and he discovers that the town was also once the home of the Teletubbies.

Written and performed by Mark Steel
Additional material by Pete Sinclair
Production co-ordinator Beverly Tagg
Sound Manager, Jerry Peal
Producer, Carl Cooper

Picture Credit, Tom Stanier

A BBC Studios Production


FRI 12:00 News Summary (m001sdv5)
The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4.


FRI 12:04 AntiSocial (m001sdtn)
The 'digital pound'

A clip from the European Central Bank, talking about progress towards an electronic version of the euro, has sparked concern on social media. Some suggest new central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) like this - including a digital pound under consideration in the UK - are designed to track our spending, or even restrict it. And there are fears it could lead to the elimination of cash altogether. But others say CBDCs are a recognition of cash’s decline, providing an alternative, and that central banks need to keep up with changing financial technologies. So what exactly is a digital pound, how would people use it, and how different is it to the way we pay for things now?


FRI 12:57 Weather (m001sdv2)
The latest weather forecast


FRI 13:00 World at One (m001sdvl)
Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment.


FRI 13:45 The Great Post Office Trial (m001sdw1)
17. Facing the Music

The Post Office Horizon Scandal has been called the widest miscarriage of justice in modern British history, with the number of former Sub Postmasters whose convictions have been overturned now over 60. Those who suffered prosecution or financial ruin due to errors on the Post Office's Horizon computer system want answers. How could this have happened? Who is responsible?

Continuing the series that has helped expose the scandal since 2020, Nick Wallis draws on interviews, documents and the extraordinary revelations spilling out of the ongoing public inquiry. For the first time, the public is getting real insight into what was really going on inside the Post Office.

In Episode 17, Nick explores how senior Post Office lawyers and managers reacted in 2013 to the biggest challenge to the Horizon system yet. After MPs forced an independent investigation which identified bugs in Horizon, the Post Office publicly backed their computer system and reaffirmed their faith in the prosecutions they had conducted. But behind the scenes, all hell was breaking loose.

Presenter: Nick Wallis
Producer: Robert Nicholson
Sound Design and Mixing: Arlie Adlington
Executive Producer: Will Yates

A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 14:00 The Archers (m001sdwf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Thursday]


FRI 14:15 Limelight (p0gm1b1f)
Harland - Series 3

Harland - 5. Diu triach

Lucy Catherine's supernatural thriller reaches its apocalyptic conclusion. Sarah may still be at his side but Dan finds the world around him is being ripped apart as forces unleashed centuries ago come crashing into the present. The Hare Witches will not be denied.

Dan ..... Tyger Drew-Honey
Sarah ..... Ayesha Antoine
Janis ..... Fiona Skinner
Fordingbridge ..... Sean Baker
Keshia ..... Rhiannon Neads
Molly Gold ..... Carolyn Pickles
Dom Rob ..... Josh Bryant-Jones
DJ ..... Don Gilet

Production Co-ordinator ..... Jenny Mendez
Technical Producer ..... Andrew Garratt
Sound Design by Peter Ringrose and Caleb Knightley
Directed by Toby Swift
A BBC Audio Production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 14:45 Close Encounters (m001mtf9)
Simon Singh and Alan Turing

In this final episode of Close Encounters, Martha Kearney's series marking the re-opening of the National Portrait Gallery after three years of renovation, Martha is joined by the Mathematician and writer Simon Singh. He chooses to celebrate a very simple photographic portrait of the code breaker Alan Turing. Simon was part of a Bank of England panel that saw to it that Turing would be the image we see on our fifty pound notes and he explains why this quiet figure whose image is comfortably the smallest in the gallery in which it is displayed, is the most important figure in science and mathematics since Sir Isaac Newton.
It's a story that reveals much about the way Britain has changed in the last half a century and rounds off the series which itself illustrates the tone and impact the National Portrait Gallery is endeavouring to deliver as it opens its doors to the public once again.

Producer: Tom Alban


FRI 15:00 Gardeners' Question Time (m001sdwz)
Freshwater

Kathy Cluggston and her team of horticultural experts are in Freshwater on the Isle of Wight, inspired by the poetry of former local Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

Joining Kathy on the panel today are grow-you-own guru Bob Flowerdew, pest and disease expert Pippa Greenwood, and curator at RHS Wisley Matthew Pottage.

Producer: Dominic Tyerman

Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod

Executive Producer: Hannah Newton

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.


FRI 15:45 From Fact to Fiction (m001sdx7)
Fiona's Coat

Mary Paulson-Ellis writes a story about grief and recovery, inspired by Britain's loneliest sheep whose controversial rescue recently hit the headlines.

'Fiona' the sheep was rescued by farmers after spending at least two years alone at the foot of cliffs on the Cromarty Firth. She's been given a clean bill of health at her new home in Dumfries and Galloway, with her overgrown fleece crafted into keepsakes to raise money for charity.
Read by Cara Kelly

Mary Paulson-Ellis writes across the genres of crime, historical and literary fiction. Her debut, The Other Mrs Walker was a Times bestseller and Waterstones Scottish Book of the Year. Mary has written for the Guardian and BBC Radio 4 and in 2023 she was appointed Dr Gavin Wallace Fellow by Edinburgh Unesco City of Literature. In 2019 Val McDermid named her one of ten exciting LGBTQ+ writers working today.


FRI 16:00 Last Word (m001sdxf)
Peter Betts, Audrey Salkeld, Heather Rogers KC, Louise Meriwether

Matthew Bannister on Peter Betts, who was the UK’s lead negotiator at international climate change summits.

Audrey Salkeld, the mountaineering historian best known for her work on the ill-fated Mallory and Irvine expedition.

Heather Rogers KC, the lawyer who championed freedom of speech in many high profile cases

Louise Meriwether, the author and journalist whose acclaimed novel “Daddy was a Number Runner” told the story of her childhood during the depression in Harlem.

Interviewee: Fiona MacGregor
Interviewee: Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC
Interviewee: Geoffrey Robertson KC
Interviewee: Adam Salkeld
Interviewee: Ed Douglas
Interviewee: Cheryl Hill

Reading extract by: Susan Abebe

Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Archive used:

News report following 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Copenhagen, BBC News, 12/19/2009; News report, The Paris Agreement, UN Climate Change Conference (COP21), BBC News, 13/12/2015; Pete Betts interview, 194: Making a Difference, Outrage + Optimism podcast, Outrage + Optimism Ltd, uploaded 30/03/2023; Spycatcher ruling, Newsnight, BBC Two, 13/10/1988; David Irving, HardTalk, BBC News, 28/04/2000; Denial - official movie promo, IMDB, uploaded 2016; Louise Meriwether Lecture, Lectures to the Black Experience in the Arts course, University of Connecticut 14/03/1972;


FRI 16:30 Feedback (m001sdxk)
The programme that holds the BBC to account on behalf of the radio audience


FRI 17:00 PM (m001sdxr)
Afternoon news and current affairs programme, reporting on breaking stories and summing up the day's headlines


FRI 18:00 Six O'Clock News (m001sdy1)
Israel says fuel will be allowed into Gaza to prevent a collapse of the sewerage system


FRI 18:30 The Now Show (m001sdyd)
Series 63

Episode 3

Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis present the week via topical stand-up and sketches. They are joined by Zoe Lyons, with some news of recent rare sightings, Pierre Novellie, exploring the latest in middle-class crazes, and Jess Robinson, singing about the real stalwart of 10 Downing Street.

The show was written by the cast with additional material from Mike Shephard, Tasha Dhanraj, David Duncan and Cody Dahler.

Voice Actors: Jason Forbes & Roisin O'Mahony

Producer: Sasha Bobak
Production Coordinator: Katie Baum

A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4


FRI 19:00 The Archers (m001sdyl)
WRITER: Naylah Ahmed
DIRECTOR: Kim Greengrass

Ben Archer …. Ben Norris
Helen Archer …. Louiza Patikas
Pat Archer …. Pat Gallimore
Lilian Bellamy …. Sunny Ormonde
Alice Carter …. Hollie Chapman
Harry Chilcott …. Jack Ashton
Alan Franks …. John Telfer
Usha Franks …. Souad Farass
Shiv Gupta …. Pushpinder Chani
Jakob Hakansson …. Paul Venables
Joy Horville …. Jackie Lye
Kate Madikane …. Perdita Avery
Miles Titchener …. Adam Astill
Rob Titchener …. Timothy Watson
Annie …. Jessica Tomchak


FRI 19:15 Add to Playlist (m001sdyx)
Fraser T Smith and Amanda Whiting enjoy some Gin and Juice

Fraser T Smith - producer, musician and collaborator with artists including Adele, Stormzy, Dave and Sam Smith - and Welsh jazz harpist Amanda Whiting, add the next five tracks to the growing playlist. With Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye they go from a Snoop Dogg 1994 hit to Brazil via some serious jazz piano.

Producer Jerome Weatherald
Presented, with music direction, by Cerys Matthews and Jeffrey Boakye

The five tracks in this week's playlist:

Gin and Juice by Snoop Dogg
Passion Dance by McCoy Tyner
Deacon Blues by Steely Dan
String Quartet No 2 in A Minor: II Andante Cantabile by Florence Price
Oye Como Va by Eliane Elias

Other music in this episode:

Higher Ground by Stevie Wonder
I Got the... by Labi Siffre
Blinded by Your Grace Pt 2 by Stormzy
Set Fire to the Rain by Adele
Black by Dave
I Know You by Craig David Feat. Bastille
Fallin' by Alicia Keys
I'd Rather Go Blind by Etta James
He's Got the Whole World In His Hands by Wanda Jackson
The Banana Boat Song by Harry Belafonte
Oye Como Va by Tito Puente
Chanchullo by Arcaño y sus Maravillas
Oye Como Va by Santana


FRI 20:00 Any Questions? (m001sdz7)
Shevaun Haviland, Baroness Smith, Enver Solomon, Theresa Villiers MP

Alex Forsyth presents political discussion programme from Here East in Hackney with Shevaun Haviland - Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, Baroness Angela Smith - Shadow Leader of the House of Lords, Enver Solomon - Chief Executive of the Refugee Council and Conservative MP Theresa Villiers.
Producer: Ed Prendeville
Lead broadcast engineer: Richard Earle


FRI 20:50 A Point of View (m001sdzs)
The Strangeness of Dreams

From clay tablets in Mesopotamia two and a half thousand years ago to the stuff of dreams today, Sarah Dunant examines the continuing mystery of the function and meaning of dreams.

'As science digs further into every nook and cranny of our brains,' writes Sarah, 'the elusive, individual nature of dreams is possibly the most magical element of human existence that remains.'

Producer: Adele Armstrong
Sound: Peter Bosher
Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith


FRI 21:00 The Great Post Office Trial (m001t4q1)
Parts 13-17

The Post Office Horizon Scandal has been called the widest miscarriage of justice in modern British history, with the number of former Sub Postmasters whose convictions have been overturned now over 60. Those who suffered prosecution or financial ruin due to errors on the Post Office's Horizon computer system want answers. How could this have happened? Who is responsible?

Continuing the series that has helped expose the scandal since 2020, Nick Wallis draws on interviews, documents and the extraordinary revelations spilling out of the ongoing public inquiry. For the first time, the public is getting real insight into what was really going on inside the Post Office.

Presenter: Nick Wallis
Producer: Robert Nicholson
Sound Design and Mixing: Arlie Adlington
Executive Producer: Will Yates

A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 22:00 The World Tonight (m001sf0c)
In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and breaking news from a global perspective


FRI 22:45 Brother of the More Famous Jack by Barbara Trapido (m001sf0s)
Episode 5

Brother of the More Famous Jack is Barbara Trapido’s first novel. Published in 1982, it soon acquired countless fans as well as winning prizes and, in more recent years, admirers including :

'The perfect book' - Meg Mason

'The best possible company in this difficult world' - Ann Patchett

'A daisy bomb of joy' - Maria Semple

'Funny, charming, teeming with life, and real' - Nick Hornby

'I adored it . Redolent of classics like The Constant Nymph with both its true voice and wonderfully sage and sanguine heroine' - Sophie Dahl

'Reading it again is as comforting as eating toast and Marmite between clean, fresh sheets' - Rachel Cooke, Sunday Times

Eighteen-year-old Katherine - bright, stylish, frustratedly suburban - doesn't know how her life will change when the brilliant Jacob Goldman first offers her a place at university. When she enters the Goldmans' rambling bohemian home, presided over by the beatific matriarch Jane, she realises that Jacob and his family are everything she has been waiting for.

Sally Phillips, much loved star of Clare in the Community, returns to BBC Radio 4 with this delightful comic tale of the joys and anguish of young love.

Abridged by Mark Kilfoyle and Jill Waters
Produced by Jill Waters
Read by Sally Phillips
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4


FRI 23:00 Americast (m001sf14)
US x China: Friends Reunited?

Sarah didn’t quite make it to dinner with Xi Jinping at the APEC Summit, but we spoke to someone who did, an old friend he met in 1985 at a potluck in Muscatine, Iowa.

Back in the present, the Chinese president has held talks with Joe Biden for the first time in over a year. What came from the meeting and where has it landed US/China relations?

And, Gen Z and Millennials will make up half of the electorate when it comes to the 2024 presidential election. The Americast team looks at the political power of social media with Gen Z TikTok influencers Harry Sisson and Isabel Brown.

HOSTS:
• Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter
• Sarah Smith, North America editor
• Marianna Spring, disinformation and social media correspondent
• Anthony Zurcher, North America correspondent

GUESTS:
• Harry Sisson, TikTok influencer
• Isabel Brown, TikTok influencer
• Sarah Lande, Iowa resident and friend of Xi Jinping

GET IN TOUCH:
• Join our online community: https://discord.gg/qSrxqNcmRB
• Send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 9480
• Email Americast@bbc.co.uk
• Or use #Americast

Find out more about our award-winning “undercover voters” here: bbc.in/3lFddSF.

This episode was made by George Dabby with Alix Pickles, Catherine Fusillo and Claire Betzer. The series producer is George Dabby. The technical producer was Matt Hewitt. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.


FRI 23:30 Today in Parliament (m001sf1g)
After David Cameron's return to government, Alicia McCarthy looks at what it's like being a cabinet minister in the House of Lords. Also - how does our food get from field to plate? And can we spot the Prime Minister of tomorrow in a meeting of the Youth Parliament?




LIST OF THIS WEEK'S PROGRAMMES
(Note: the times link back to the details; the pids link to the BBC page, including iPlayer)

A Good Read 16:30 TUE (m001sd5j)

A Good Read 11:30 THU (m001sd5j)

A Point of View 08:48 SUN (m001s642)

A Point of View 21:20 TUE (m001s642)

A Point of View 20:50 FRI (m001sdzs)

Add to Playlist 22:15 SAT (m001s63y)

Add to Playlist 19:15 FRI (m001sdyx)

All in the Mind 15:30 WED (m001scxf)

Americast 23:00 FRI (m001sf14)

Analysis 20:30 MON (m001sd79)

AntiSocial 20:00 WED (m001s62y)

AntiSocial 12:04 FRI (m001sdtn)

Any Answers? 14:00 SAT (m001sclb)

Any Questions? 13:10 SAT (m001s640)

Any Questions? 20:00 FRI (m001sdz7)

Archive on 4 20:00 SAT (m001scqg)

Armistice Day Silence 10:59 SAT (m001schx)

BBC Inside Science 16:30 THU (m001sdxj)

BBC Inside Science 21:00 THU (m001sdxj)

Being Roman with Mary Beard 11:30 WED (m001sctb)

Bells on Sunday 05:43 SUN (m001sct3)

Bells on Sunday 00:45 MON (m001sct3)

Best Medicine 18:30 TUE (m001sd6n)

Big Little Questions 23:00 WED (m001sd3l)

Born in Bradford 11:00 FRI (m001sdsq)

Brain of Britain 23:00 SAT (m001s55n)

Brain of Britain 15:00 MON (m001sd59)

Brother of the More Famous Jack by Barbara Trapido 22:45 MON (m001sd7m)

Brother of the More Famous Jack by Barbara Trapido 22:45 TUE (m001sd7g)

Brother of the More Famous Jack by Barbara Trapido 22:45 WED (m001sd2w)

Brother of the More Famous Jack by Barbara Trapido 22:45 THU (m001sdzt)

Brother of the More Famous Jack by Barbara Trapido 22:45 FRI (m001sf0s)

Ceremony of Remembrance from the Cenotaph 10:30 SUN (m001scmz)

Close Encounters 05:45 SAT (m001mt80)

Close Encounters 14:45 FRI (m001mtf9)

Desert Island Discs 09:00 FRI (m001sdrh)

Drama on 4 14:15 MON (m001sd4y)

Elsinore 14:15 TUE (m0009r5v)

Elsinore 14:15 WED (m0009rj7)

Elsinore 14:15 THU (m0009tn5)

Farming Today 06:30 SAT (m001scg3)

Farming Today 05:45 MON (m001sd6w)

Farming Today 05:45 TUE (m001sd8v)

Farming Today 05:45 WED (m001sd8r)

Farming Today 05:45 THU (m001sd6k)

Farming Today 05:45 FRI (m001sf2m)

Fed with Chris van Tulleken 11:00 MON (m001sd2f)

Feedback 20:00 SUN (m001s63g)

Feedback 16:30 FRI (m001sdxk)

File on 4 17:00 SUN (m001s5n2)

From Fact to Fiction 20:45 WED (m001s63b)

From Fact to Fiction 15:45 FRI (m001sdx7)

From Our Own Correspondent 11:30 SAT (m001scjn)

From Our Own Correspondent 11:00 THU (m001sdt1)

Front Row 19:15 MON (m001sd75)

Front Row 19:15 TUE (m001sd6v)

Front Row 19:15 WED (m001sd13)

Front Row 19:15 THU (m001sdyk)

GF Newman's The Corrupted 21:00 SAT (m000w4p0)

Gangster 13:30 SUN (p0gjb5x9)

Gardeners' Question Time 14:00 SUN (m001s638)

Gardeners' Question Time 15:00 FRI (m001sdwz)

Glenn Moore's Almanac 18:30 WED (m001sczz)

I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue 18:30 MON (m001sd6x)

In Our Time 09:00 THU (m001sdrt)

In Our Time 21:30 THU (m001sdrt)

In Touch 21:00 TUE (m001sd76)

Irresistible: How Cuteness Wired Our Brains and Conquered the World by Joshua Paul Dale 09:45 MON (m001sd84)

Irresistible: How Cuteness Wired Our Brains and Conquered the World by Joshua Paul Dale 00:30 TUE (m001sd84)

Irresistible: How Cuteness Wired Our Brains and Conquered the World by Joshua Paul Dale 09:45 TUE (m001sd7z)

Irresistible: How Cuteness Wired Our Brains and Conquered the World by Joshua Paul Dale 00:30 WED (m001sd7z)

Irresistible: How Cuteness Wired Our Brains and Conquered the World by Joshua Paul Dale 09:45 WED (m001sd10)

Irresistible: How Cuteness Wired Our Brains and Conquered the World by Joshua Paul Dale 00:30 THU (m001sd10)

Irresistible: How Cuteness Wired Our Brains and Conquered the World by Joshua Paul Dale 09:45 THU (m001sdsx)

Irresistible: How Cuteness Wired Our Brains and Conquered the World by Joshua Paul Dale 00:30 FRI (m001sdsx)

Irresistible: How Cuteness Wired Our Brains and Conquered the World by Joshua Paul Dale 09:45 FRI (m001sdsd)

It's a Fair Cop 18:30 THU (m000vrj4)

Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley 09:30 WED (m001scrp)

Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley 15:30 TUE (p0c258w1)

Last Word 20:30 SUN (m001s63d)

Last Word 16:00 FRI (m001sdxf)

Law in Action 16:00 TUE (m001sd55)

Law in Action 20:00 THU (m001sd55)

Legend 16:00 THU (m001sdx8)

Life Changing 09:00 WED (m001scrc)

Lights Out 23:00 MON (m001sd7r)

Limelight 14:15 FRI (p0gm1b1f)

Loose Ends 18:15 SAT (m001scpk)

Loose Ends 21:30 SUN (m001scpk)

Love Stories 15:00 SUN (m001sd07)

Mark Steel's in Town 11:30 FRI (m000ph4v)

Midnight News 00:00 SAT (m001s64m)

Midnight News 00:00 SUN (m001scr4)

Midnight News 00:00 MON (m001sd56)

Midnight News 00:00 TUE (m001sd80)

Midnight News 00:00 WED (m001sd7v)

Midnight News 00:00 THU (m001sd4r)

Midnight News 00:00 FRI (m001sf10)

Money Box 12:04 SAT (m001sck9)

Money Box 21:00 SUN (m001sck9)

Money Box 15:00 WED (m001scx2)

Moral Maze 23:00 SUN (m001s5kv)

Moving Pictures 11:30 TUE (p0ggs5gk)

Nato's Newest Member 20:00 MON (m001scsz)

Nato's Newest Member 11:00 WED (m001scsz)

News Briefing 05:30 SAT (m001s65f)

News Briefing 05:30 SUN (m001scsp)

News Briefing 05:30 MON (m001sd6d)

News Briefing 05:30 TUE (m001sd8n)

News Briefing 05:30 WED (m001sd8h)

News Briefing 05:30 THU (m001sd60)

News Briefing 05:30 FRI (m001sf24)

News Summary 12:00 SAT (m001scjz)

News Summary 06:00 SUN (m001scsf)

News Summary 12:00 SUN (m001scxt)

News Summary 12:00 MON (m001sdps)

News Summary 12:00 TUE (m001sdrq)

News Summary 12:00 WED (m001sd1s)

News Summary 12:00 THU (m001sdvq)

News Summary 12:00 FRI (m001sdv5)

News and Papers 06:00 SAT (m001scfw)

News and Papers 07:00 SUN (m001scts)

News and Papers 08:00 SUN (m001scwc)

News and Papers 09:00 SUN (m001scx6)

News and Weather 13:00 SAT (m001scky)

News 22:00 SAT (m001scqt)

Now You're Asking with Marian Keyes and Tara Flynn 23:00 TUE (m001sd7l)

On Your Farm 06:35 SUN (m001sct1)

One to One 09:30 TUE (m001sd00)

Open Book 16:00 SUN (m001sd0p)

Open Book 15:30 THU (m001sd0p)

Open Country 06:07 SAT (m001s5ld)

Open Country 15:00 THU (m001sdx2)

Opening Lines 14:45 SUN (m001sczv)

PM 17:00 SAT (m001scn0)

PM 17:00 MON (m001sd65)

PM 17:00 TUE (m001sd5t)

PM 17:00 WED (m001scyl)

PM 17:00 THU (m001sdxq)

PM 17:00 FRI (m001sdxr)

Paul Sinha's Perfect Pub Quiz 12:04 SUN (m001s560)

Pick of the Week 18:15 SUN (m001sd39)

Political Thinking with Nick Robinson 17:30 SAT (m001scnc)

Prayer for the Day 05:43 SAT (m001s65m)

Prayer for the Day 05:43 MON (m001sd6p)

Prayer for the Day 05:43 TUE (m001sd8s)

Prayer for the Day 05:43 WED (m001sd8m)

Prayer for the Day 05:43 THU (m001sd69)

Prayer for the Day 05:43 FRI (m001sf2d)

Prime Ministers' Props 00:30 SAT (m001rjfg)

Profile 19:00 SAT (m001scpw)

Profile 05:45 SUN (m001scpw)

Profile 17:40 SUN (m001scpw)

Radio 4 Appeal 07:54 SUN (m001scvm)

Radio 4 Appeal 21:25 SUN (m001scvm)

Radio 4 Appeal 15:27 THU (m001scvm)

Saturday Live 09:00 SAT (m001scgw)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 SAT (m001s650)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 SUN (m001scrs)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 MON (m001sd5v)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 TUE (m001sd8d)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 WED (m001sd87)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 THU (m001sd5f)

Selection of BBC World Service Programmes 01:00 FRI (m001sf1l)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 SAT (m001s64t)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 SAT (m001s656)

Shipping Forecast 17:54 SAT (m001scns)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 SUN (m001scrg)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 SUN (m001scs6)

Shipping Forecast 17:54 SUN (m001sd1t)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 MON (m001sd5k)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 MON (m001sd63)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 TUE (m001sd88)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 TUE (m001sd8j)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 WED (m001sd83)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 WED (m001sd8c)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 THU (m001sd52)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 THU (m001sd5s)

Shipping Forecast 00:48 FRI (m001sf1c)

Shipping Forecast 05:20 FRI (m001sf1w)

Short Cuts 15:00 TUE (m001sd4v)

Short Works 11:45 SUN (m001n21r)

Sideways 00:15 MON (m001s5gk)

Sideways 16:00 WED (m001scxr)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 SAT (m001scp9)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 SUN (m001sd2s)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 MON (m001sd6q)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 TUE (m001sd6c)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 WED (m001sczk)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 THU (m001sdy8)

Six O'Clock News 18:00 FRI (m001sdy1)

Sliced Bread 12:32 THU (m001sdv9)

Something Understood 06:05 SUN (b0088m48)

Soul Music 10:30 SAT (m001schk)

Start the Week 09:00 MON (m001sd1d)

Start the Week 21:30 MON (m001sd1d)

Sunday Worship 08:10 SUN (m001scwr)

Sunday 07:10 SUN (m001scv6)

The Archers Omnibus 09:15 SUN (m001scxh)

The Archers 19:00 SUN (m001sd3r)

The Archers 14:00 MON (m001sd3r)

The Archers 19:00 MON (m001sd4h)

The Archers 14:00 TUE (m001sd4h)

The Archers 19:00 TUE (m001scwp)

The Archers 14:00 WED (m001scwp)

The Archers 19:00 WED (m001sd0j)

The Archers 14:00 THU (m001sd0j)

The Archers 19:00 THU (m001sdwf)

The Archers 14:00 FRI (m001sdwf)

The Archers 19:00 FRI (m001sdyl)

The Bottom Line 11:30 MON (m001s5nl)

The Bottom Line 20:30 THU (m001sdys)

The Digital Human 16:30 MON (m001sd5w)

The Exploding Library 00:15 SUN (m001s53w)

The Exploding Library 16:30 SUN (m001sd18)

The Food Programme 12:32 SUN (m001scy6)

The Food Programme 15:30 MON (m001scy6)

The Great Post Office Trial 13:45 MON (m001sd4l)

The Great Post Office Trial 13:45 TUE (m001sd43)

The Great Post Office Trial 13:45 WED (m001scw7)

The Great Post Office Trial 13:45 THU (m001sdwt)

The Great Post Office Trial 13:45 FRI (m001sdw1)

The Great Post Office Trial 21:00 FRI (m001t4q1)

The Infinite Monkey Cage 19:15 SAT (m001scq6)

The Infinite Monkey Cage 16:00 MON (m001scq6)

The Life Scientific 09:00 TUE (m001sczl)

The Life Scientific 21:30 TUE (m001sczl)

The Media Show 16:30 WED (m001scy2)

The Media Show 21:30 WED (m001scy2)

The Now Show 12:30 SAT (m001s63t)

The Now Show 18:30 FRI (m001sdyd)

The Planet Earth Podcast 14:45 SAT (m001sclq)

The Reinvention of Italy 11:00 TUE (m001sd1h)

The Skewer 21:45 SAT (m001s5mj)

The Skewer 23:15 WED (m001sd3z)

The State of the Art 19:45 SUN (p0gm22sm)

The Today Podcast 23:00 THU (m001sf06)

The Week in Westminster 11:04 SAT (m001scj9)

The World This Weekend 13:00 SUN (m001scz6)

The World Tonight 22:00 MON (m001sd7h)

The World Tonight 22:00 TUE (m001sd7b)

The World Tonight 22:00 WED (m001sd2d)

The World Tonight 22:00 THU (m001sdzb)

The World Tonight 22:00 FRI (m001sf0c)

Today in Parliament 23:30 MON (m001sd7w)

Today in Parliament 23:30 TUE (m001sd7q)

Today in Parliament 23:30 WED (m001sd4d)

Today in Parliament 23:30 THU (m001sf0m)

Today in Parliament 23:30 FRI (m001sf1g)

Today 07:00 SAT (m001scgm)

Today 06:00 MON (m001sd0v)

Today 06:00 TUE (m001scym)

Today 20:00 TUE (m001sd71)

Today 06:00 WED (m001scqp)

Today 06:00 THU (m001sdr3)

Today 06:00 FRI (m001sdqz)

Turning Point 15:00 SAT (m001scm6)

Tweet of the Day 08:58 SUN (m0001mt4)

Tweet of the Day 05:58 MON (b0378srp)

Tweet of the Day 05:58 TUE (b01sbyxy)

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Uncanny 23:30 SAT (m001rprz)

Weather 06:57 SAT (m001scgc)

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Westminster Hour 22:00 SUN (m001sd4w)

When It Hits the Fan 21:00 WED (m001sd1x)

Who Runs the World? 19:15 SUN (m001sd45)

Woman's Hour 16:00 SAT (m001scmp)

Woman's Hour 10:00 MON (m001sd1y)

Woman's Hour 10:00 TUE (m001sd0x)

Woman's Hour 10:00 WED (m001scsj)

Woman's Hour 10:00 THU (m001sdsk)

Woman's Hour 10:00 FRI (m001sds8)

World at One 13:00 MON (m001sd47)

World at One 13:00 TUE (m001sd3n)

World at One 13:00 WED (m001scvw)

World at One 13:00 THU (m001sdwb)

World at One 13:00 FRI (m001sdvl)

You and Yours 12:04 MON (m001sd3d)

You and Yours 12:04 TUE (m001sd2q)

You and Yours 12:04 WED (m001scv3)

You and Yours 12:04 THU (m001sdtv)

Young Again 21:00 MON (m001s5gx)

Your Place or Mine with Shaun Keaveny 10:00 SAT (m001sch4)